


Lonely Angel

by F1_rabbit



Series: Tattooed Angel [2]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Firefighters, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 23:48:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4039321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kevin's just getting used to being mortal, having a quiet life, a good job and a lovely boyfriend who he literally shares his soul with.  But a friend is about to get tangled up in something that will bring chaos down on them all...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oops?

**Author's Note:**

> Madleane has drawn the most beautiful picture of Kevin with his wings!!! You should check it out [here](http://madleane.tumblr.com/post/120614763243/afireiswoken-f1rabbit-madleane) :D

Nico wakes up with something soft and fluffy over his face, it's not his blanket. It's not this smooth. He slowly opens his eyes to see Kevin's wing draped over him, he must have let them out during the night. Nico tries to gently extricate himself without waking Kevin, he's been working the late shift this week and Nico's been trying to let him sleep in when he heads for work. He's groping about for his glasses when Kevin's wings curl around him and the slight change in Kevin's breathing tells Nico he's awake.

"Morning," Kevin mumbles, he can't have had more than four hours sleep.

"Morning my angel," Nico whispers, he's taken to calling Kevin 'my angel' because to him he always will be. Kevin seems to have accepted being mortal as just one of those things, although he was prepared to die so really any sort of life has to be better than death.

Nico kisses Kevin on the forehead but when he sees those big eyes looking up at him in a lustful way he knows that Kevin's not just going to go back to sleep. He tilts Kevin's head so that he can kiss him properly and within minutes Kevin's on top of him, straddling his lap and surrounding him with wings.

"I've got to go to work," Nico mumbles between kisses but it's half hearted. He just wants to stay in bed all day with Kevin but he's got to go to work, especially since Kevin's not really earning much as a trainee police officer. Although he's enjoying the work and he's really good at it unsurprisingly. Kevin's tipped to make detective within the year.

Kevin's grinding against him; hands and wings stroking his face, nipples and neck all at the same time. It's like being in an orgy with just one person, Nico thinks. It's not long before they're both hard and Nico's positioning Kevin so that he can suck him while he opens him up.

Delicately, with one wing, Kevin grabs the lube and drizzles it over Nico's cock, slowly sliding his hand up and down to make sure its coated, and just to tease Nico a little bit longer. He sinks down slowly onto Nico's cock, and it's just the most perfect feeling in the world to Nico, being one with Kevin, his soul happy to be close to its other half. Kevin's riding Nico frantically, moaning breathlessly. He's always on top, even if he's not got his wings out, just so Nico can admire all those tattoos properly.

"You're perfect," Nico gasps, he's holding Kevin's face so he can't look away, has to look at him as he comes. Nico bites his lip as he orgasms, forcing his eyes to stay open and watch Kevin throw his head back in ecstasy as he comes messily over Nico's chest. Kevin collapses in a heap of wings on top of Nico, he just can't believe how lucky he is to have Kevin in his life.

They learned the hard way that now they share a soul they both come at the same time. Awesome when fucking, really embarrassing when Kevin was still getting used to all this and decided to get himself off at home while Nico was at work… Nico almost choked on a biscuit but it covered up the fact that he had an orgasm, without warning, while trying to tell everyone about a corruption scandal. After that they agreed on a 'no masturbating while the other is at work' rule, which is fine by Nico, it means more sex and more time to explore the perfect creature that is his boyfriend.

Nico's trying to brush his teeth, his hair and get dressed all at the same time, and failing. His stomach is growling but it'll have to wait until he gets to work before he can do anything about it. If he leaves right now, he's still going to be late, but not so ridiculously late that he'll have to come up with a good reason. Kevin's already gone back to sleep when he goes to kiss him goodbye, he's softly snoring with a big grin on his face and with that Nico's on his way to work.

*****

"So who wants to interview the physics professor about his new book?" the editor asks, looking around for a 'volunteer'. It's not usually considered real journalism these sorts of pieces, but they're needed to add a lighter side to the news. Just at this moment Nico bursts through the door and into the staff meeting. "Hulk, you're up, got a nice assignment for you," the editor adds, while the rest of the staff snigger.

Nico hates being called Hulk, but he just carries on smiling, he knows that whatever boring piece he's been lumped with is his own fault. He knows that given the choice he would always choose time with Kevin (especially in bed) over anything else. His editor fills him in on the details, physics professor, new book, review it, get a nice photo, couple of good quotes… It should be a easy assignment for Nico.

"You've to meet him at ten, at _Heavenly Cakes_. You're familiar with the place, aren't you?" his editor jibes. Nico is indeed familiar with the place, it's where the angels meet up around here, but it's also where a lot of the lgbt community meet too. Since work found out about his boyfriend he's been getting a lot of comments like this, little digs, sneers, put downs. He's still the same guy, the fearless investigative journalist, even managed to help catch a serial killer (who was also a demon) but somehow people see him differently.

Nico glances at his watch, it's ten past nine and it should only take him fifteen minutes to get round to the café where he's meeting the professor which means he's got just enough time to get some breakfast first.

*****

Nico arrives at the café, it's your typical independent coffee shop, mismatched furniture and a pastel colour scheme, and it attracts a clientele who don't quite fit in with the rest of the world. It is part of the reason the angels use it, they too are on the fringes of society. As Nico wanders into the place it's dead on ten and when he looks about all he sees is one young guy. Kevin's age he thinks, before remembering that his boyfriend is an ~~angel~~ ex-angel who is as old as time itself. Early twenties, jeans and a hoodie, he can't be the professor he's meeting. He wishes he'd asked at the office what their name was, other than 'professor', or what they looked like but he assumed that if he was meeting someone here at this time they would stand out from the usual crowd.

He's about to call his office when the young guy wanders up to him, Nico tries to remember if he's met him before but he doesn't look familiar.

"Hi, I'm Jo," they say putting their hand out to shake. Nico's just waiting for all the pieces to fall into place, he's here quite a lot and maybe they've seen him before? "You write for Sydsvenskan, right?" Jo adds, a hint of confusion showing on his face, but it's not like it takes a lot of effort to know that, his picture's often by the articles he writes. Also it's the only major newspaper in Malmö. "I'm Professor Palmer, I-".

"Right, the physics professor," Nico cuts in, it's taken far too long for him to put this all together, he mocks hitting his head, the universal gesture for _I'm an idiot_. Some investigative reporter he is. He shakes Jo's hand and goes to get some coffee and a cake for himself, even though he had a full cooked breakfast not long ago.

Once they've got their drinks and Jo's watched on in horror at the pace with which Nico can put a large slice of chocolate cake away, even dabbing up the crumbs with his fingers, they get down to business. "How old are you?" Nico asks, and he stops himself just before he can say _kid_.

"Twenty-five, I've just been made Professor of quantum physics at the University," Jo says. Nico can see how proud he is of this and rightly so, it's impressive to be a professor at any age but this young, well that's something special.

Nico looks confused, he's sure this was a fluff piece that he was sent to do. They have journalists who specialise in certain fields like science, medicine and finance, and he's not one of them.

Jo must have seen the confusion on Nico's face, "I guess you did something to annoy your boss and they've sent you here as punishment!"

"Yes," and Nico feels like the tables have been turned on him, he's meant to be the one asking the questions, although he very rarely just asks questions, he's usually having to wheedle information out of people. He realises that the lack of information about Professor Palmer, Jo, actually makes this much more like his usual assignments, no real information, no idea where the story might lead him, but thankfully a lot less chance of danger. Jo's big smile puts him at ease and he pulls himself together and gets down to doing the job he was sent to do.

"Let's start at the beginning, what's the book called and what's it about?" Nico asks cheekily with a wink.

" _The Science of Angels and Demons_ ," Jo says, "the title sums it up nicely, don't you think?"

Nico almost spits out his coffee when he hears what the book is about, suddenly panicking that Jo's a demon come to kill them all. It would explain the choice of venue, but then he notices the rainbow flag on his rucksack and it calms him, that's how he knows this place.

"So are angels real?" Nico says in a tone which he hopes is a little bit joking but not so much that he's going to offend anyone if they do believe. Not that he's in any position to judge people who believe in angels, three of his closest friends; Dan, Dany and Marcus are all angels working here on Earth protecting humans.

"Messengers sent by God? No. But beings from another dimension that watch over the Earth? Possible," Jo says and Nico can't help but watch his hands as he talks, waving wildly as he expands on his theory. He tells Nico all about the basics of quantum theory, the fact that there's probably multiple universes all co-existing on different quantum planes and that there could be beings that might have the intelligence to travel between them.

"Heaven and hell are just alternate dimensions?" Nico asks, although this is exactly what Kevin has told him about it as well. When he'd asked Kevin if he knew god he'd just laughed, joking that the only 'higher power' is the head of the organisation that they all work for. The reason they use words like 'heaven' and say that they 'come down to Earth' is just to mimic what humans have been saying for hundreds of years. It's become part of their vocabulary because that's how we describe it, not because it's the way it actually is. Kevin tried to explain it all, in words Nico would understand, and in the end had to compare it to the film _From Beyond_ , which to this day leaves Nico with a strange feeling of unease.

"… and if they're multi-dimensional beings they would actually be invisible to us," Jo says and Nico is thankful that he's been recording all this as he didn't catch most of it. He's glad that he's mastered the art of nodding and making the right noises to show he's listening, even when he's not. "Sorry, I just get carried away sometimes," Jo says apologetically and Nico feels bad as he's pretty sure that he looks confused and probably a little disinterested.

"It's perfect, the more information the better!" Nico says and it's true, it'll give him more of a choice when writing up the article. He gets a couple of photos and he makes sure that he has his phone number and e-mail, just in case he has any questions and also so he can send him a copy of the final article. "Off the record, you seem like a smart guy but…"

"Why write a pop-science book?" Jo finishes the sentence for him. "My publishers wanted me do something with a better profit margin than textbooks," he says in a whisper while leaning in but there's a smirk on his face.

"Oh," is all Nico can think to say. Jo makes his excuses saying that he has to head back to the University and Nico thanks him for his time, and the copy of the book he's given him, he's actually quite intrigued by it now.

Nico heads home to write up the article, he's using the spare room as an office, part of it's so he can spend more time with Kevin but some of it's the general atmosphere in the office now. 

*****

"Who are you partnered with?" Dany asks.

"Vandoorne," Kevin replies. Kevin's no longer going to be shadowing others, he's going to be doing everything a 'real' police officer does for the next few months and if he does alright that'll be him, no longer a rookie.

"He's a good guy, headed straight for the top," Dany says while nodding, "also he's not bad on the eyes!"

Dan playfully punches Dany, before saying, "you know he can't cheat on Nico!" They dissolve into fits of giggles and Kevin regrets ever telling them about the quirk in their sex life. But he doesn't really have anyone else to talk to about it and Dan and Dany seem to be experts so he just laughs it off.

Kevin yawns, he didn't really get much more sleep after Nico left, it scrunches up his eyes and Dany makes an awful observation.

"You're getting wrinkles," Dany says with childish glee, he's fascinated by the idea that Kevin's mortal. Kevin wasn't too worried but no-one really knows what it'll mean for him, if he'll age like a normal human.

He has noticed a few little things, the odd wrinkle, bags under the eyes, but he's not worried about it yet. Kevin's fake identity says that he's twenty-three, twenty-four in a couple of months. Not that he really understands birthdays. Nico's birthday is in a couple of weeks and he'll get to experience it all first hand. Last year Nico was just out of the hospital so they didn't do anything and Kevin had no idea that he was meant to.

Kevin's snapped out of thoughts by his new partner wandering up to Dan and Dany's desk. He's average height, dirty blond hair, standing tall and proud, hat tucked under his arm, even in the stab-proof vest he looks lean. Kevin can't help notice that he's quite good looking, but his Nico is just the most perfect human he's ever seen.

"Magnussen?" he asks and Kevin nods. "Vandoorne, but you can call me Stoffel," he adds with a smile, his voice is soft yet forceful, the sort of voice that suggests you would be best to obey it. Combined with his slight air of superiority, of leadership, Kevin can see why he's an effective police officer. They shake hands and Stoffel tells him that they've been called to a burglary.

As they're wandering to the car Stoffel asks, "How do you know the Dans?"

"They're _old_ friends," Kevin says with a smirk.

*****

Marcus is sitting reading a book, _The Science of Angels and Demons_. He'd bought it as a joke, thought it would be something to flick through while he's on shift, but it's actually quite interesting. And it's scarily accurate. He would never have thought that a human would be able to comprehend it all.

It's been relatively quiet at work, which is a good thing, mostly just dealing with barbecues that have got out of hand. Marcus goes to get a coffee, he's been putting it off as usually once you've made it and are just sitting down to drink it – that's when they get called out to a fire. While he makes it he's absently planning what he's going to cook for Kevin and Nico who are coming round for brunch tomorrow; it'll be nice to have everyone together. Dan and Dany see a lot of Kevin at work, but he's not really had a chance to catch up with him lately. What with the crazy shifts and the fact that Kevin seems to turn to Dan and Dany for advice about relationships, which makes sense, but it still stings a little bit.

He's just sat down, book in hand, about to take the first sip of coffee when - the siren blares. They've been called out to a fire at an old abandoned psychiatric hospital. It's not been used in years but there are often kids that mess around in it as well as homeless people sleeping there.

All three engines are on the move and there's another couple on standby if they get there and it turns out it's a bad one. As they're on their way he can see the smoke billowing from the old hospital and he hopes that there's no-one sleeping there tonight.

It's a large old building, four storeys, high ceilings, decorated with flammable paint and a lot of the beds and furniture was left when the place closed down. Lots of things to burn. There's flames licking out of a broken window and a creaking sound like the place might not be standing for much longer. One of the teams has the hose on full blast, trying to put the fire out but Marcus and his team are going to have to go in and clear the building, make sure there's no-one trapped inside. Marcus is pulling on his gear and running towards the flames, he's always first in, best way to keep them all safe.

There are small patches of fire, thick smoke filling the building, Marcus is on the top floor, walking quickly but carefully, testing each step before putting his weight on it. The other fire fighters radio that their floors are clear but Marcus still has a couple of rooms to check. There's nothing in the first room, but the second room has a fire burning along one wall, trying to make its way to the window. It has mattresses strewn about the floor and it looks like a human in a sleeping bag burning. Marcus rushes towards it but it's just a sleeping bag, there's no-one inside it. He breathes a sigh of relief, made easy with all the breathing equipment he's wearing, when he notices something scratched into the wall.

**Merihim is the plague**

**he will spread among us**

Marcus reads it out loud, it's all in Latin but he remembers enough from when the humans used it. It's definitely weird but this place is often used for filming, mostly horror films, and they tend to just board up the windows when they're done.

He's on his way back outside to his team, help clear up, as the fire in the room has nearly burnt itself out, when he sees a shadowy figure slink out of the room he was just in. Marcus runs after him, worried that he'd missed someone when he cleared the building, following them into a small room. When he notices that they have the mark of a demon. It catches him off-guard and the demon uses this time to attack Marcus, shoving him to the ground and banging his head off the floor. He's only unconscious for a few seconds but by the time he comes round there's no sign of the demon anywhere.

When he gets back to the team everyone's so busy that they didn't even notice him coming out and when he asks if they saw anyone unusual they all say that there's been lots of people in and out, it is a large building to clear.

It takes a long while to make sure that the building's safe and there's no chance that anything else might catch fire. On the way back to the fire station Marcus writes down what he saw and what he read, he'll need it to find out exactly what has happened here.

*****

"Come in, sit," Dany says as he ushers Kevin and Nico into the flat. "Marcus isn't back from his shift yet," they've all seen the news and they know that although it's under control now, there's often lots to do even after the fire is out.

Dan's making pancakes and they smell delicious. Nico's just glad to have someone else make food for him, he's been trying to teach Kevin to cook, but it's going to take some time. He doesn't mind though, it's just nice to do things together.

They're gathered around the table, eating pancakes slathered in syrup, and it's all so peaceful, so normal. Dan and Dany are ribbing Kevin about his new partner, Officer Vandoorne, _Stoffel_ , and how attractive he is. Nico makes a point of faking jealousy, to show he's not bothered by it, he knows that he and Kevin are perfect together; otherwise the jokes would really bother him. Kevin had already told him all about his new partner when he got in late last night, and that Dan and Dany had been winding him up about it then too.

The conversation rolls around to sex, as a frequently does with the Dans, and Kevin ends up telling them everything, they don't seem to have the same inhibitions about sex, or talking about sex as humans do. Not that Nico's got anything to be embarrassed about. Dany's whispering tips to Kevin as Nico chats to Dan about where they're planning to travel to next, they've been to quite a few places already and it's fascinating to have Kevin telling him about a history that's long forgotten.

Marcus wanders into the flat, apologising for being late but they all understand they all know what it's like to have a job that comes first. He heads straight for the shower and Nico sees that he looks preoccupied, worried even, but he dismisses it as just tiredness.

Dan offers to make some more pancakes for Marcus when he returns and Nico feels a little guilty for eating so many but Marcus declines, says he'll just have a coffee. They end up sitting on the sofa, there's only just enough room for all of them if Dany sits on Dan's lap and Kevin squishes between Nico and Marcus. It's clear that Marcus has had a rough shift, his hands are shaking as he slowly sips his coffee.

"What happened?" Kevin asks slowly, resting a hand on Marcus' knee. His normally sunken eyes are wide and he looks like he might cry. They all slowly cuddle into him, hoping that once he realises he's safe that he'll talk to them, let them help.

Marcus tells them about the fire, the weird inscription and what he saw before he was attacked at the scene.

"So, um, I accidentally summoned a demon."


	2. Why?

Kevin gives him a hug and all Marcus can say is, "I'm sorry".

"Sorry! You accidentally released a demon and you're sorry!" Dany shrieks. "It's bad enough you told Naaririel all of our plans before but now you actually went and got us a whole fucking demon!"

Kevin's trying to keep everything calm, shielding Marcus with his body and Dan's holding Dany down so that he can't punch Marcus. Nico ends up shoved off the end of the sofa as Dany's flailing about, wings thrashing. Thankfully Dan's got him pinned securely and Kevin's drawing Marcus further into a hug and further away from the thing trying to hurt him.

Nico has no idea what to say that will make this better but this is not going to solve anything. "Stop it!" Nico yells, it sounds strange as he's normally so calm and level. "Marcus you're coming with us. Dany, when you've calmed down come and help us sort this mess," and with that Nico's herding Kevin and Marcus out of the door and back to his flat.

When they're outside Nico finds himself checking that both Kevin and Marcus have their wings away. He's not entirely sure what triggers the wings coming out, usually they seem to have full control but seeing Dany's fly out when he was angry has Nico worried that they might accidentally let them out if they're really upset.

They end up walking, one either side of Marcus, all the way back to the flat. No-one says a word the whole time, although it's not really a conversation that they could have in public. Kevin just holds Marcus' hand and Nico drapes an arm around him.

Back at the flat Kevin asks Nico to get the coffee. While Nico's waiting for the kettle to boil he goes to get the super-secret biscuits that he has hidden on top of the kitchen cabinets, so that Kevin can't reach them. Because Kevin doesn't cook none of his junk food is safe around Kevin, so he has to keep it out of his way. Once he's got them he turns around to see Kevin watching, glaring at him.

"You hide the biscuits from me?" Kevin says and it sounds like he's joking, but his face says otherwise.

"Just until you learn to cook," Nico says, he wants to say he was just doing the right thing by Kevin but he knows that really it was just so that he'd always have comfort food in the house, for emergencies.

Kevin goes to grab the tin but Nico just holds it up high. Nico's tall and he's also got really long arms so Kevin ends up trying to jump and reach them but he can't quite get them. It's cute watching him get mad but Nico's forgotten that he has a trick up his sleeve, Kevin takes his top off and as Nico's leaning in for a kiss, Kevin's wings shoot out, take the biscuit tin and flip him off on the way out the kitchen.

Just as Nico's thinking, _I deserved that_ , the kettle clicks to say that it's boiled and he sets about making coffee for everyone. As he wanders through he notices that Kevin has put his t-shirt back on and put his wings away. Kevin's slowly eating a biscuit while staring at Nico and when he gets to the sofa he kisses him gently on the side of the neck before whispering apologies to him.

They miss Marcus rolling his eyes at them, or the look of loneliness that seems to wash over him when they're kissing and cuddling. Marcus coughs awkwardly and Nico remembers why they're all here, he's straight into journalist mode, trying to gather as much information as he can that will help them capture the demon. He sits so that he can talk to Marcus and Kevin can continue hugging him.

Marcus shows Nico the incantation that he read, assuming it was just vandalism, and he describes the demon that he saw. He sketches a picture of the demon in human form, a short man, scruffy dark hair, stubble; it's an odd reminder of the demon Furfur. But he's definitely gone, Kevin gave his soul to destroy him, condemned himself to a mortal life. Nico's grateful to have him in his life but it's a very high price to pay for it. He sometimes feels guilty about it but then he remembers that without him, Kevin would have no life at all.

"Did he say anything to you?" Nico asks. He's trying to get something unique that would help them find the demon.

"No," Marcus says sadly and Nico places a hand on his knee. Nico feels so awful for him. Not so much about accidentally summoning a demon, that seems just unlucky, but the way Dany screamed at him, having a friend turn on you is always a horrible thing.

Nico hugs Marcus and Kevin, his long arms wrapping around both of them, seeking out Kevin's skin for comfort. It's not that he doesn't want to comfort Marcus as well but there's something about contact with Kevin that just makes everything ok, calms him, gives him strength. And with that moment of clarity Nico knows what they need to do to try and find this demon.

*****

Dany's trying to slap Dan with his wings but they're just not meant for inflicting damage. Eventually he relents, letting out a large groan and going limp on the sofa. Dan slowly lets go of him, allowing Dany to sit up. His shirt is pulled funny from his wings but he doesn't look like he's going to put them away anytime soon.

"It's ok, we'll sort it, we always do," Dan soothes while easing his wings out. He knows that the touch of his wings will be the quickest way to calm Dany, he strokes the side of his face and Dany starts to nuzzle against his wing but then he snaps out of it.

"You know who can sort this? Karael, but he doesn't exist anymore! We're stuck with Kevin, who doesn't even have his own soul!" Dany rants, and Dan draws him into a big hug, wings surrounding him and Dan wishes he had answers. But they're here to do a job and nothing's going to stop them protecting the humans.

"We will find a way," Dan soothes, wings caressing Dany in an effort to relax him.

"Find a way to… what? Stop Kevin dying? Make him one of us again?" Dany says sarcastically but Dan now knows that he's been hiding a lot of his feelings about Kevin being mortal. Dan had assumed with all the jokes that Dany was ok with it, or had at least accepted it as one of those things.

"We can't change that, but we can try and stop this demon," Dan says with a sigh.

Dany wriggles out of his shirt, stretching his wings before finally looking Dan in the eye, "I love you. I know it's really human but I love you". At home you're drawn to someone, then your energies bond and once you're bonded it's for all eternity. That's why they always get to work together, because of their bond, it would be cruel to separate them.

"I love you too," Dan says with a big grin, it's not something they say where they're from but it seems fitting.

There's a flurry of clothes and wings until they're both in the bedroom, naked. Both gaze at each other longingly, wings fully wrapped around the other as Dan pulls Dany into a passionate kiss. It feels like they are the only two souls in the whole universe, that nothing exists apart from the angel that they love, and they wish that they could stay like this forever. But this is just a little bit of comfort sex, fuck away all the anger, and it's only a matter of minutes before Dan's sliding into Dany, wildly thrusting into him as he moans in pleasure.

"Fuck me harder!" Dany gasps, his requests are getting louder and louder. 'Angel of Silence' my ass, Dan thinks, although they're just silly titles the humans have given them over the years. He's meant to be the 'Angel of Dreams' but Dany's probably the only one who would agree with that.

They come at the same time, thanks to Dan's amazing coordination, and lie gasping in a pile of wings and limbs tangled together.

"I should phone Kevin, see what we can do to help," Dan says once he's got his breath back. He wanders off to find his phone, leaving Dany to enjoy a few minutes of peace. It's going to be a while before they get some time to themselves again.

Dan's just about to pick up his phone when Nico calls, he sends Dan the picture of the demon that Marcus drew and the last known location. Hopefully they can see if the demon has a human identity and if he's been spotted on cctv at any point today.

"Get dressed, we're going into work," he tells Dany and the groan he gets in response says it all.

*****

"Dan and Dany are going to go into the station, see if they can find out anything that might help us," Nico says, he's just got off the phone with Dan. "We're going to go to the site of the fire and see what's there, see if there are any clues," he adds and his tone of voice says there will be no arguments.

Kevin grabs a small case from under the bed, all his forensic equipment which he kept from training. Nico grabs the biscuits on the way out, he's got a feeling that he's going to need a lot of comfort food in the next few days.

It's a bright clear day, summer's not quite over and there's a gentle breeze rolling off the sea. The old hospital looks almost unscathed on the outside, the outer stone shows only the odd scorch mark where the flames escaped through the windows and they've been freshly boarded up to stop anyone going into the damaged building.

Nico's absently munching a biscuit while Kevin gets the tyre lever from the boot of the car, it'll do the job for levering off the boards so they can get inside. He'll put it back when they go, Marcus had told them that some of the floors and ceilings are unstable, and it looks like the place might have to be torn down. Pity, since it's a lovely old building but if no-one's going to look after it maybe it would be safer if it was demolished.

Once they're inside Marcus tells them to follow him, carefully, and it takes them a long while to walk up to the fourth floor. They enter the room where Marcus read the inscription and it's almost completely charred, it seems to have taken so much more damage than the rest of the building which means the fire must have started here.

Kevin sets to swabbing bits from where the inscription was and the floor around it, he'll sneak into the lab tonight out of hours and see what it gives him. Nico takes a lot of photos, using different filters to see if anything unusual shows up in infrared or ultraviolet, before noticing the burnt mattress.

Marcus must have seen him staring because he says, "No-one was hurt; the building was empty when the fire started". Which puts Nico's mind at ease, he's not sure he wants to be following another trail of bodies throughout the city.

"There's no way just reading something out could 'summon' a demon," Kevin says and he makes air quotes around the word summon. "There must have been something else here that created the portal for the demon to come through, I'll know once I've tested these," he says while waving an evidence bag filled with samples.

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier!" Marcus growls, he's spent the last few hours thinking that he might have let a demon into this dimension.

"Oh… It's not my life anymore. I'm mortal now! I have to worry about being stabbed while on duty or hit by a car; illness, disease, dying, human things!" Kevin says, he started calm but has got increasingly angry. Marcus can't imagine being mortal, but it doesn't stop him being envious of Kevin and his relationship with Nico. Not that he wants Nico, but a Nico of his own.

Kevin hugs Marcus. He looks relieved at the fact that he isn't responsible for this, although Kevin should have told him that a lot sooner; it just completely slipped his mind. That's what happens when you decide to put all these things in the past. But it doesn't change the fact that they need to find this demon – and fast. They haven't found out who has come through or what the demon is going to do next, which means that there are lots of people who are potentially victims.

After Kevin is sure that there's nothing else to be learned from the scene they carefully leave the building and board the door back up. The old hospital hasn't got any buildings nearby but it does have a large garden which they take their time to comb through, seeing if any evidence was left or any indication of which way the demon was heading. At this point even the vaguest of clues would be a help.

Kevin gets Nico to drop him at the police station since the lab people will be done for the day and he can use the equipment without anyone noticing. Nico takes Marcus back to the flat since Kevin's going to be at least an hour and it's probably better that he makes dinner so they can have something edible, they're going to need their strength.

He's nearly finished dinner when he hears the front door. Kevin wanders through to the kitchen but Nico can hear the unmistakable voices of Dan and Dany in the flat. "Marcus is taking a nap, he's not slept in over thirty-six hours," Nico says and Kevin nods, he saw how tired Marcus was earlier. "Food will be ready in fifteen minutes," he says. He gives Kevin a kiss on the forehead but Nico can already see the worry written all over Kevin's face. Nico wants to tell him that it'll all be ok, wants to believe it himself, but he's just not sure it will be.

Nico takes the plates through to the living room (which is also their dining room) but it's just Dan sitting there. "Dany's gone to apologise, Kevin told him that it wasn't Marcus' fault," Dan says. Nico's relieved, he knows how difficult demon hunting is first hand, it'll be easier to fix this if they're all working together.

He wanders through to the bedroom and sees Marcus lying with Kevin and Dany on either side of him, wrapping him up in their wings, comforting him. Dany's mumbling apologies and Kevin's whispering that it'll all be ok, that they'll fix this. It's nice that someone believes it.

Over dinner Kevin goes through all of his findings from the lab. "The portal was opened from their side, so it's a demon powerful enough to travel freely between the dimensions," he says with a sigh. Dan and Dany didn't find anything useful from the human computers but they've sent word to Raguel, the angel that deals with who comes to Earth, hopefully he'll have some more information for them. Unfortunately it doesn't get them any closer to finding the demon. But they've put out a notice to all the police officers to watch out for a guy matching his description and maybe they'll get lucky.

They're trying to work out what their next step is when they get an uninvited visitor. Naaririel appears in the middle of the living room like it's no big deal and Dan holds Dany back, while the others brace themselves for a fight.

"What are you doing here?" Kevin asks, he's already out of his seat and he's even got a knife in his hand, although it was there for the food.

"I'm working as a messenger now," Naaririel sighs, it's well known that messenger is one of the worst jobs for an angel.

"Why aren't you in prison?" Nico asks but now that he's said it out loud he's not actually sure if they have prisons where they come from.

"They were merciful, they forgave me, but they don't quite trust me yet," Naaririel says while waving his wrist, his tone of voice almost blasé about the fact that he helped a demon kill five people while trying to take revenge on Kevin for banishing him to hell with a demon when he got in the way.

Nico can't figure out why he's waving his wrist. "Nice bracelet?" he says in confusion and Dany sniggers. He stares at Dany with a look that says either shut up or explain what's going on and Dany tells him that it's a tracking monitor, like they do here with criminals. All Nico can say is 'oh' but really it seems like a light sentence, being monitored rather than being sent to prison, although if you're immortal would prison actually be any use? Nico adds it to a long list of 'things to ask Kevin' when they're not trying to stop a demon.

"So what's the message?" Dany snarls, there's a lot of anger in his voice. He's not truly forgiven Naaririel for what happened before. But he does have faith in their justice system, it's a lot more advanced than what passes for 'justice' here on Earth.

"I have a prophecy that you will save the universe, dear Dumah. I mean _Dany_ " Naaririel says sarcastically, he can give as good as he gets. "From Raguel," he adds.

"You are to find Jehudiel and together you can defeat Merihim," Naaririel says in an almost disinterested tone of voice.

"How are we supposed to find Jehudiel?" Dany says as he fixes him with his best stare.

"He's got a scar in the shape of a cross on his wrist," Naaririel says, rolling his eyes, this is definitely not part of the job description.

Something clicks in Kevin's brain, "He was down here when the humans had their witch trials, they suspected he was a wizard and they branded him with the cross before I could get to him. I saved him before they burnt him at the stake". Kevin shakes his head, it was a dangerous time to be working on Earth, the humans were so suspicious of everything and their technology means that they were frequently accused of being wizards or worse still demons.

Nico looks at Kevin with concern, "Please don't tell me we've got another angel with a grudge".

"No, it's not in his nature," Kevin says to Nico before addressing Naaririel, "Does he still have the same body?"

"Yes, you know it's just easier that way," Naaririel scoffs rolling his even more dramatically this time. His 'bracelet' starts to glow and he tells them that he has to go _now_. And with that he disappears back to his own dimension.

"So how are we going to find him?" Nico asks, hoping that there's an easy answer. He watches three angels and a former angel shrug in unison.

"You could check through drivers' licences," Marcus says. He still feels like this is somehow his fault, his responsibility, even though it's Dany's mission now.

"I've got the early shift so it should be quiet, I'll see what I can find," Kevin says, he's no longer got the same shifts as Dan and Dany, and Marcus said that he's on the late shift tomorrow. This was the only day off that they all had together; he was looking forward to a lazy day with friends. But such is life, if he goes to sleep now he can get a whole eight hours before he has to wake up for work. So with their limited plans sorted Kevin ushers Dan and Dany out of the flat and Marcus chooses to go with them, this morning's anger long forgotten.

Kevin wraps Nico up in his wings and tries to sleep, but he worries about what they're going to do, he's no longer Karael the great demon hunter. He's Officer Magnussen, mortal police officer, dealing with human crimes.


	3. Who?

Kevin's scrolling through the pictures in the drivers' licence database. There's no way to narrow it down by eye colour and hair colour which would help a lot, just gender but that's not really cutting down the number of pictures to check to a reasonable number. He's tried the criminal database which has physical descriptions as well as 'notable features' which includes scars and tattoos but nothing has shown up matching Jehudiel, but typically if you get into trouble down here someone like Dan or Dany sorts it out for you, erasing the records so that no-one can ever use it as proof that they are immortal. Coincidence can only explain away so much.

He's so focussed on looking for Jehudiel, that he jumps when his partner, Stoffel, wanders in to tell them that they've been called out to check on a possible situation. They've been called to Karl Gustafson's house, a known drug dealer, after the neighbours have reported screaming and shouting.

Kevin's driving, although he came down with a driver's licence he didn't actually know how to drive. Dany gave him a crash course in driving which would be enough not to raise suspicion when he had to do the advanced driving module as part of the training for new police officers. But like everything else that's new to him down here, he's picked it up really quickly and he quite likes driving actually.

"Did you enjoy your day off?" Stoffel asks.

"Yes, caught up with some friends," Kevin says, trying not to sound suspicious. It's not a lie but it's not really the truth.

"The Dans?" Stoffel asks and it's starting to feel a little bit like an interrogation.

"Uh, yeah, and a couple of other friends," Kevin says. He's been warned by the Dans not to mention his relationship with Nico, apparently it's frowned upon down here. Odd since where they're from there is no such thing as gender, they just are. The bodies they use on Earth are not a reflection of who they are, although he has got used to the body he's stuck in. They only have to replace them if they get seriously damaged; minor things just heal as though they were mortal, which is why Jehudiel has so many scars.

"So tell me, the Dans… they're a couple, right? They're way too close to just be friends. And don't they live together?" Stoffel's in full on police officer mode, hassling a criminal for the last little bits of information.

"Nah, just silly rumours! Who has time for a girlfriend with this job?! Better to keep it all casual," Kevin says with a knowing wink, luckily he's been lying about things for so long that it's really second nature to him. The hard part was actually being honest with Nico, telling him the whole truth, rather than the standard lies for dealing with humans. Although he's going to have to stop thinking like that, him being separate from the humans, as for all intents and purposes he's one of them now. Mortal.

Stoffel laughs at that last comment, breaking all the tension, and thankfully the subject gets changed to sports. Kevin doesn't really know much about sport but he's happy just to nod along as Stoffel talks about his favourite football team.

Relief washes over Kevin when they finally arrive at the house. It seems quiet now but they have to check that everything's ok before they can sign off. It's a nice house, paid for by drug money, in a nice area of town, which is why they got so many calls about the disturbance.

Kevin wanders up to the door and knocks, but there's no answer. "Police, open up," he says loudly but calmly. There's still no answer and there's no sound of people moving around inside the house. Kevin signals to Stoffel that he's going to check around the back of the property and as he passes one of the windows he sees why there's no sound. There's a body of a middle-aged man lying dead in the middle of the room. Kevin runs back round to Stoffel and they radio for forensics before breaking the door down.

The man is long dead, but still recognisable as Karl Gustafson, he's been stabbed many times and if Kevin had to guess he'd say that most of the stab wounds were done after he'd already bled to death. There's nothing more they can do for him so they set about clearing the house, checking that there's no more bodies. The last room they check looks like a storage room; the guy wasn't stupid enough to actually store his drugs here, that's why he's still free, but he did do a lot of his 'business' here.

Stoffel's prodding at the boxes when a blood covered man, eyes wide, flies out from behind them, knife still in hand. He knocks Stoffel to the ground and Kevin gets his baton out, tries to knock the knife out of the suspect's hand but they grab it, wrenching it free, leaving Kevin to fight hand to hand. Kevin gets a good punch in, and just he's about to punch him for a second time when he feels a stab of pain across his wrist. Stoffel manages to grab the guy from behind and pin him to the floor, and then the handcuffs are on and the guy is screaming about how 'they made him do it'. He's clearly high; you can't tell what colour his eyes are because his pupils are that wide. They'll have to wait for him to sober up a bit before they get any sense from him.

Kevin's reading the guy his rights as they drag him out of the house, the knife left lying for forensics to deal with. They don't want to contaminate the scene anymore than they already have.

Once they've put the suspect in the police car, and while they're waiting for forensics, Stoffel asks Kevin if he's alright. There's blood on his white shirt and the fabric's actually torn. When Kevin rolls up his sleeve he sees that he's been cut along the inside of his wrist, it's slowly bleeding but has mostly clotted, he prods it a couple of times and the pain he feels is very real. Stoffel gets the first aid kit out of the car and patches it up but it's quite deep. He'll probably need stitches so he'll have to go to hospital. It'll be his first time there as a patient rather than a visitor and the thought of it makes his blood run cold.

"Twelve stitches. Try and keep it dry and clean and I would say take it easy but you police guys never do, so…" the doctor says cheerily. Far too cheerily for Kevin's liking, but he's lucky that the cut wasn't near a major artery, it could have been so much worse.

Stoffel's waiting to take him back to the station, he's been filling in the report of what went down at the scene while Kevin was getting sewn up.

"The guy was as high as a kite, he's still gibbering about how he had to do it," Stoffel says, "but that's what you get when you sell drugs to junkies".

It's an open and shut case, drug dealer stabbed by one of his customers, found at the scene covered in blood, which matches the victim's, and with a weapon that has his fingerprints on as well as the victim's blood, and the blood of a police officer. He'll also be charged with attacking two police officers and resisting arrest. By the time they get back to the station and file all the paperwork that'll be the end of their shift. Kevin's not sure he could go back out today, his brush with death a little bit of a wake up call for a man that's used to thinking of himself as immortal.

*****

"Hey. I just wanted to check you're ok," Nico says into his phone, he's calling to check on Marcus. This whole mess seems to be weighing on him the hardest and he doesn't really have anyone to watch out for him the way he does for Kevin and Dan does for Dany. Although it's more often the other way round.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Marcus says but he doesn't sound it.

"What time are you working tonight?" Nico asks, he knows Dan and Dany are working until seven tonight, so Marcus will be eating dinner alone.

"Eight," Marcus replies.

"Come over for dinner, I've got to go meet someone for an article but I'll be back about five, half five at the latest. It'll be better than eating alone!" Nico says cheerily. Before he met Kevin and the guys he didn't really have anyone in his life, no family, no friends, only work. So he feels that he should put the effort in, be more than just Kevin's boyfriend to them, actually be their friend, be there for them.

"Sure," Marcus says and Nico can hear a little bit of a smile.

They say their goodbyes and Nico starts gathering up all the bits and pieces he needs to meet with Professor Palmer to go over the final article. Nico found the book fascinating and there are a lot of questions that he'd like to ask him, but he doesn't want to give away too much about why he's asking. He leaves a note for Kevin saying that he's gone to _Heavenly Cakes_ to meet the professor about the article and that Marcus is coming over for dinner, he almost leaves the words 'hope you found Jehudiel' but thinks better of it. Being a journalist makes him paranoid by nature and knowing that there's potentially a demon hunting them down doesn't really help with that.

*****

Stoffel drops Kevin outside the flat, he almost invites him up and then realises that there's pictures of him and Nico, and the Dans, which very much show that they're more than friends. So he thanks Stoffel for taking care of him today, and for the lift, and heads on in alone.

When he gets in he takes off all the blood stained clothes, binning the shirt and putting the rest in the washing machine. He spends what feels like an eternity under the warm water in the shower, watching the blood slowly trickle away until he finally feels clean. Kevin then finds his comfiest pyjamas and one of Nico's giant hoodies, carefully dressing around his newly bandaged wrist. Every time he moves his right hand he feels a stab of pain and his skin feels weird where the stitches are, like it's stretched funny over his body.

He's never felt so vulnerable, so fragile and he just wants Nico to hold him, tell him that it'll all be ok. But Nico's hoodie is the next best thing, it even smells of him. He wanders into the kitchen carrying a chair, so that he can get the biscuits down, when he sees the note Nico left for him. Kevin thinks about heading down to meet him but he's working, he doesn't want to get in the way. If Marcus is coming round soon he'll have some company, it'll be ok.

Kevin finds the cook book Nico got him and flicks through it. He decides that he's going to make dinner, at least it'll take his mind off everything and keep him occupied until Nico gets home.

*****

"Hi, Professor P-"

"Jo's fine!"

"Jo, nice to see you again," Nico says apologetically. He's never sure if people with titles want them to be used or not, he's encountered both types in his time as a journalist. Nico goes to get the coffees and while he's there both the chocolate cake and the marzipan cake look good so he orders both.

"Which one's mine?" Jo says cheekily. Nico's sure that the last time they met he probably left an accurate but unflattering impression of his eating habits.

"You can have whatever you want," Nico says and it comes out sounding a lot more sexual than he meant it to but if Jo knew him, he'd know that just the offer of sharing food is a monumental thing, usually reserved for those closest to him.

Jo puts out a pale arm to grab the marzipan cake and Nico notices a scar on his wrist when the sleeve of his hoodie rides up. He tries not to stare but Jo sees him and awkwardly hides it.

"Crashed a quad bike when I was younger," Jo says with a half shrug. The scar looks old and more like a burn than a cut, sadly Nico's seen enough crime scenes to know the difference.

Nico nods as a way of acknowledging it and changing the subject all at the same time. They go over the article and Jo seems impressed at Nico's grasp of the physics behind the book. He's no idea that he's had quite a while to come to terms with the concept. Nico's also making sure to get lots of praise about how talented Jo is as a writer and how impressive it is that he's a professor at such a young age.

Once he's sure Jo's happy with the piece he turns on his inner fanboy and asks him, "would you sign my copy of your book?" Nico's got his big dorky grin on and he's fidgeting nervously with his glasses, all hopefully giving the impression that he's in awe of the professor.

"Sure, do you have it with you?" Jo says; he looks pleased that someone's interested. Physics professors aren't really known to have a lot of fans.

"Uh, no, but my flat's just round the corner from here," Nico says, "I'll even throw in a home cooked meal". He's on full blown charm offensive now, he has to get Jo back to the flat.

Jo's smile gives his answer before his mouth does, "I'd like that," he says and with that Nico's leading the way back to the flat.

On the walk back to the flat Jo talks about how the food at the University, while free for professors, isn't exactly in the same league as his Mum used to make. He also mentions that he's a little bit homesick, although it's less than two hours flight back to Britain.

Jo says it all so convincingly that Nico's starting to doubt himself. As he leads Jo into the flat he's almost shaking with nerves.

"Nice act, Jehudiel, but I know who you are," Nico says. He's no longer sure that he's got this right, it could just be a coincidence that he has a scar on his wrist in the shape of a cross.

"It's Jolyon…" he says and he really looks confused and quite terrified. He can almost see Jo thinking _this is why you don't follow strange men home_. Nico's sure that he's made a mistake but he's no idea how to explain any of it. "I should be going," Jo says and Nico's relieved that this seems to be the end of this. Just as long as Jo doesn't go to his boss, all this will be fine, he doesn't need any more hassle at work.

Jo's heading for the door when Kevin walks through the front door with shopping bags, a never before seen sight, a miracle of the highest order. Nico looks suspiciously at the way he's dressed; he's in one of Nico's hoodies and he can tell that it's his pyjamas on underneath, Kevin doesn't really understand the different types of clothes, although the pyjama bottoms just look like jogging bottoms so it's not too bad. Marcus is just behind him, which makes more sense; with not cooking Kevin doesn't really understand grocery shopping. All previous attempts have resulted in Nico having to be quite creative to use all the random things Kevin has bought.

Nico's about to tell Kevin that Jo's just leaving. He's trying to usher him out the flat when Kevin speaks, "Jehudiel?!"

"Karael?!" Jo says and now Nico's definitely confused.

Marcus sees what's going on and pushes Kevin into the flat; they don't really want the neighbours eavesdropping on their conversation. There's only so much you can lie about before humans get suspicious.

Nico's still standing with his face scrunched up in confusion when he's handed the shopping, and unable to really say anything, he just takes them through to the kitchen. He's not sure what he would say even if he could speak.

When Nico wanders back in everyone's sitting in the living room, although no-one's talking, they're all just staring at each other. Nico goes back into the kitchen to make coffee, he's not asked people if they want it but he's not sure what else he can do to be useful.

Nico's staring at Jo; he had seemed normal when he spoke to him yesterday, well, normal for a physics professor. It's quite ingenious as a cover, Nico thinks. Everyone's got a coffee and still no-one's talking, so Nico decides just to get to the point. "How can you help us defeat a demon, _Jo_?"

Jo looks confused, "Why do you need me when you have Karael?"

"Not anymore. Haven't you heard? I'm mortal now…" Kevin says and as much as he tries not to it sounds bitter. It breaks Nico's heart to hear it.

"Oh," is all Jo says before looking thoughtful, "tell me everything". So Kevin tells Jo the story of how he gave up his soul to destroy a demon called Furfur and is destined to live the rest of his life as a mortal.

As Kevin tells his story Marcus texts Dany to say that they've found Jehudiel, _Jo_ , and Dany asks Marcus to phone in sick. He's never done anything like that, they don't get sick but one day off in four years won't cause any problems. In fact it'll sell the whole human thing, he doesn't know of anyone else that has never been off sick (or at least feigned illness for a day off).

Nico abandons the idea of dinner, he's flattered and surprised that Kevin was going to try and cook for him but with six people to feed and a demon to catch, take away is going to be much quicker and easier. And he could do with some comfort food.

Dan and Dany show up with the food, a stack of pizza so high that Dan is struggling to see over it and there's three bags filled with burgers and chips, there's a good chance that some of this will be breakfast, and lunch, tomorrow. Hunting a demon really gets in the way of everything.

"How did you find him?" Dany whispers once he's in the flat.

"Uh, fate kind of stepped in," Nico shrugs, "Kevin's filling him in on the details".

As they wander into the living room, they expect to see the others chatting but what they find is Marcus having to hold Kevin back, wings flapping, with Jo backed into a corner.

"What happened?" Nico asks, all cool and calm, although he's worried that Kevin's trying to attack the only one who can help them.

"Kevin shouldn't have given up his soul to destroy Furfur. He should have banished him, it's the correct procedure," Jo says, he's grasped the human names quickly and seems to have a better understanding of demon hunting that he's letting on.

"You don't know what I gave up to keep _them_ safe!" Kevin screams. Marcus is not holding him back anymore so much as hugging him, trying to calm him. He'd banished Furfur several times in the past; each time there were more bodies, more suffering and it would never stop until he was gone. Nico knows all the stories, Kevin told him everything.

"It wasn't your mission," Jo says, all rational logic, there's no anger but he still looks ready for a fight. Nico wants to ask Jo what they should have done, if he could have done any better in the same situation but it would only inflame the situation. The past can't be changed, all they can do is work out how to stop this new demon.

Kevin takes a deep breath, preparing to scream some more when the argument is interrupted by Dany groaning. He's slumped by the door and he looks like if you were to try and touch him he'd bite you.

"So I have to save the universe with this asshole?!"


	4. What?

"It's your mission, you don't get a choice," Jo says to Dany. He seems to be ignoring the insults and the fact that Kevin's still flapping his wings in such a way that shows he's not yet calm.

Marcus can't believe that Jo is all cool and composed, he's been handed a mission to go demon hunting and he's acting like it is business as usual. He watches Nico sigh, he's only a mortal and yet he seems to be having to control all of this, take charge. It's not right and Marcus still feels guilty about the demon. Even though it's not his fault, there should have been something he could have done at the time; he should have noticed it quicker. But these nagging feelings aren't helping now either, someone needs to take charge of this since Dany's clearly not happy with his new mission.

"Right, you, sit," Marcus says pointing at Jo and then the empty armchair. He manhandles Kevin onto the sofa, wings still fluttering and drags Nico into the room to sit next to him. The food is dumped on the table and Dan and Dany are beckoned with a crook of the finger and told to sit next to Kevin and Nico. There's not really room for the four of them, especially with Kevin's wings draped over most of the sofa, Dan ends up having to apologise for sitting on them but Kevin just drapes the wing around him. "Better eat before the food gets cold," he says and it doesn't sound like a request but they'll work better if they've all fed their human bodies. It'll also calm Nico and then he'll be able to control Kevin better. Dan's already got his wings out and wrapped around Dany's slim waist, one wing sliding up inside his shirt and resting over his heart.

There's not a chair for Marcus and he just sits on the floor by the coffee table, quietly munching the pizza. He watches as everyone eats angrily, the silence is almost comical, if things weren't quite this serious it would be funny.

Demon hunting's not even his thing but Kevin seems to have wiped everything from his mind, choosing to concentrate on his mortal life, not that Marcus blames him for that. Although now Marcus has decided to take charge of this mess he feels calm, focussed, useful.

"So… any idea what kind of demon Merihim is?" Marcus asks, if they know what he's done before it might help them track him down.

They all shrug before Jo pulls out what looks like a tablet, but the way the screen glows shows that it's not human technology. Nico watches in fascination as Jo taps away, it's all in English, just so that it doesn't look too strange if it accidentally falls into mortal hands.

"Merihim, dark prince of pestilence. Last time we know of that he was on Earth he spread the black plague," Jo says in a completely matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Right, so the department of public health might be able to help?" Marcus says, looking at Dan and Dany, they're technically part of the police even though all they track is contagious diseases.

He gets a half shrug, half grunt from Dany, and Dan nods, they'll be able to see if there's any suspicious patterns of illness in the last couple of days. And it shouldn't raise any suspicion if they ask.

"Where's the portal?" Jo asks, he's looking at Marcus since he's taken charge. There's a map of the city on his tablet and Marcus is pointing out the location. Marcus tells Jo about how he found the portal and what he saw of the demon. And how he thought he'd summoned a demon by accident.

"Common misconception. It doesn't work that way," Jo says with a smile.

"I wish someone would have told me that at the time," Marcus snipes and stares at Kevin.

"It's not my job anymore," Kevin whines before wandering off in a huff. Nico follows him and Jo just looks at Marcus, he's got no idea what to say.

*****

Kevin's sitting on the end of the bed, he's wrapped himself up in his wings, and it's heartbreaking to see his friends struggling to fix this mess, he's never felt so useless. Nico snuggles in next to him and tries to hold him. Kevin wraps his wings around him, he's so glad that he has Nico in his life, it would be intolerable without him.

Nico doesn't offer any clichés, he just moves in for a gentle kiss, his lips offering comfort, promising that it will all be ok in a way that words can't. His tongue licks at his lips before he trails kisses all the way down his neck, and then his chest, and then he's staring up with big eyes and a lustful stare while sliding his pyjama bottoms off. It's hard to look sexy in pyjamas that have unicorns on them but Kevin manages it well. Kevin's biting his lip as Nico starts to tease his hard cock, talented fingers stroking his thighs, that sensitive spot below his balls and then his warm mouth surrounding him, tongue flicking at the head. His soul swirls with lust, warmth spreading through his body, he knows that Nico feels it too, shares this with him. Nico pulls off as he orgasms, as Kevin orgasms, come spurting over his face, dripping over his lips, and Kevin kisses it all away. Kevin is just in awe of his amazing boyfriend.

*****

The unmistakable noise of two people having sex echoes around the flat. Dan and Dany just look at each other with lustful eyes and Marcus tries not to make eye contact with anyone. He can see Jo fidgeting with his tablet and squirming in his seat.

Marcus watches Nico and Kevin wander back into the living room like everyone hadn't just heard them having sex, and he tries not to stare at the drop of come that's on his glasses. Jo on the other hand has no such problem pointing it out. Nico's response is to lick it off, which makes Jo blush, before cleaning his glasses on his t-shirt in a deliberate manner.

"Uh, right, so…" Jo stumbles before giving up. Marcus is fascinated by how he fidgets when he's flustered.

"Dan, Dany, you guys check with the department of public health and see if there's any suspicious illnesses lately," Marcus says, he's enjoying being in control for a change. He knows that they've got the early shift and Dany's sulking is not helping them plan what to do to find and capture Merihim.

Jo's immersed in whatever he's reading on his tablet, furiously scrolling and tapping away, he stops for only a second to say, "It was nice to… bye," which is worse than him not saying anything at all. Marcus watches Dany roll his eyes as Dan drags him out, he hopes they catch this demon soon, not just for the humans, but so he can have peace restored in his life.

Kevin yawns and asks if there's anything else he can do, to which Jo shakes his head, so Nico and Kevin head to bed, leaving Jo and Marcus trying to figure out what to do. Mainly Jo, who seems to have access to all the information from their dimension, he keeps clicking away until the screen seems to freeze. "It's searching," Jo says with an apologetic shrug.

"How long will it take?" Marcus asks, although it might just be easier for him to stay here, rather than go home to the Dans who are probably fucking away all their stress right now.

"Could be a few minutes, could be hours," Jo says as he slinks to the sofa, patting the seat next to him before stretching out. "Nice to see the 'no wings out on Earth' rule is being obeyed," he adds sarcastically.

"I understand why they do it, it must be nice to be held in the wings of the one you love," Marcus says, trying to hide the pain in his voice. Not that he had anyone special back home, but at least there was the possibility that he'd find someone. Sometimes the others hug him but they have their partners, the ones they love or in the case of the Dans, the one that they are bonded to.

"How long have you been down here?" Jo asks, voice full of concern.

"Two hundred and fifty years, give or take a few years," Marcus sighs.

Jo hugs him and it's nice but it's still not quite the same as being wrapped up in someone's wings, he wants to stretch his out but he's never got his wings out on Earth and he's not going to start now. No matter how much he wants to.

"You can have the spare bed, I don't mind the sofa," Marcus says, he's not working until late tomorrow but he wants to spend the day demon hunting. Well, he doesn't want to, he should spend the day demon hunting.

Jo follows Marcus to the spare room, finally showing some tact and ignoring the clutter everywhere. "Thanks for helping, I know it's not your mission but I appreciate the help," Jo says, before giving him a quick hug. It's awkward, Marcus can tell that it's been a long time since he's been around his own kind, so used to keeping everyone at a distance because they're mortal.

Marcus curls up on the sofa, it's not quite long enough to sleep with his legs extended but he doesn't mind. Tonight he feels like being curled up into a ball.

*****

The screeching of an alarm wakes everyone up with a jolt, it's an unfamiliar sound to three of them. Jo's tablet is blaring away, it wasn't meant to wake them up but to tell him that it's found the information that he was looking for. He comes running into the living room, immediately sitting on the sofa where Marcus is still curled up before waving it in his face. Marcus is still fuzzy from being woken at six in the morning, four hours sleep is not enough for full brain capacity, and he tries to make sense of what Jo is rambling about.

"…I know what to do!" Jo exclaims before rushing into Nico and Kevin's bedroom. Marcus follows him and watches him shake Kevin until he wakes up. Kevin's a lot less gracious about being woken so early and tries to shove him off with his arms and wings, before groaning and getting out of bed. Nico's still sound asleep and snoring so they leave him.

Jo's still trying to tell them everything but with words like 'transdimensional' and 'quantum' making up half the conversation they're going to need coffee before it sinks in.

Marcus goes to get coffee and he can head Jo still talking from the kitchen but it's not making any sense. When he sits back down next to him on the sofa he hands him a coffee and takes his hand, he's not sure why but Marcus feels that it will focus him and it works. Jo stops talking and looks at him, excitement bubbling out of him, until Marcus says, "Start again, slowly, and in simple words".

"I know how to get Kevin's soul back!" Jo says, pausing after each word. Kevin stares at him, waiting for him to speak again but he seems to think this is enough.

Marcus gets tired of waiting and asks, "How? It was destroyed with the demon".

"Conservation of energy. Energy can't be destroyed, only transferred to another type of energy!" Jo says, with an air that say he expects them to understand. Marcus is nodding along but he has no idea where Jo is going with this.

"Ok, so how does that help us?" Marcus asks. He's still holding Jo's hand and his thumb's rubbing along the side of his hand slowly, luxuriating in the feeling.

"We can… it's complicated, but I think I can do it," Jo says, Marcus can see him trying to keep things simple for them. It's appreciated but he doesn't want to get his hope up yet and he can see Kevin looking wary as well. He's only just getting to terms with being mortal, it would be a dream come true to have his angel soul back. "I'm going to have to get some things from the University and then-"

"Meet back here?" Marcus cuts in before looking at Kevin who nods. Kevin goes to get a spare set of keys for Jo, it seems like every angel in the city has keys to Nico's flat, but it's the best way. Marcus has already decided that he's going to be 'sick' this evening, catching the demon's the most important thing at the moment. Kevin's working until five and he texts the Dans to come over after their shift.

Jo's just leaving when Nico wanders through in his boxers.

"What did I miss?"

*****

Work's looking relatively quiet for Kevin, they're on patrol around the city centre, which he's thankful for. His mind is preoccupied with the thought of getting his soul back, no longer being mortal but he doesn't want to get his hopes up. It would also mean serious changes to his life as he knows it.

They're stopped at a burger place for lunch, Nico would love it, eating and chatting away. Stoffel's teasing Kevin about his cut but it's not really that serious, he can laugh it off. Nico had kissed it all better last night, along with a few other things.

Stoffel's showing him some of his scars and telling him how he got each one, strangely it's making Kevin feel better. If Stoffel can survive all these things, after so many years on the job, and still be able to joke about then he'll be alright. People at work have already started to notice that he's got a knack for diffusing dangerous situations with the minimum of force. Although Stoffel seems to be the same which is why, he suspects, they've been partnered together.

"There's another couple but I can't show you them in public!" Stoffel jokes, he's nudging Kevin and he drops the chips he is holding onto the floor. Stoffel only laughs more at this and Kevin ends up laughing too, this life's not a bad one to be stuck with, no matter what happens.

Kevin's clearing the table and taking away the rubbish, because he's the rookie this is going to be his role for a while, when he hears screaming outside on the street. Stoffel's out of his seat and heading for the door and Kevin's following quickly, people scurry out of the way as soon as they see the uniform. They're both bolting down the street, following the direction of the screams and the crowds that are trying to dodge out the way of whatever is scaring them.

Stoffel's pointing which way to go at the end of a street and Kevin catches a glimpse of what they're chasing. It's a woman, covered in blood, holding a knife. They follow her into a small lane, there's no way out, the gate at the end is chained and locked. She's clearly distressed, eyes darting about in fear, shaking and cowering in the corner. Her blonde hair is matted with blood in places where she's run her hands through and her make up is smudged from crying. But her clothes are expensive, her hair is styled in a way that says she takes care of her appearance and her nails are nicely painted. It's odd.

"I didn't want to do it. He made me do it," she mumbles over and over again.

Kevin takes a few steps towards her, close enough that he doesn't have to raise his voice but still leaving a safe distance. He doesn't really want to be stabbed again and she looks like the smallest thing could set her off.

"I'm Kevin, this is Stoffel," he says nodding towards him, "we're here to help you". He waits until she looks at him, "we just want to know what happened today," he soothes, "why don't you drop the knife and then we can talk?"

She nods awkwardly before dropping the knife, Kevin helps her up while Stoffel puts the knife in an evidence bag. He thinks about putting handcuffs on her but it would probably only agitate her more. She's told of her rights but Kevin's not really sure that they've sunk in, she's going to have to go to the hospital first, once they're in the car they radio to say what's happened and are told that there was a stabbing at a prestigious law firm.

Apparently one of the junior lawyers stabbed a partner and then ran off. It seems to be unprovoked but they won't know until they interview the suspect and the rest of the staff. Kevin's seen her eyes, she's probably high, there seems to be some bad drugs going about at the moment. The last junkie he had a run in with was high on cocaine that had been laced with LSD, she's probably used coke from the same batch.

*****

"At least you didn't get stabbed this time!" Stoffel says cheerily, they're stood outside the hospital room where the suspect is being treated. They've asked the doctors to run some tests to see if she's under the influence.

A nurse approaches, he's the one that took the blood for testing, and tells them that there's no trace of drugs in her blood at all. No alcohol either. She's completely clean. Kevin's shocked; he could have sworn that she was on something. He asks a lot of questions about if she could have taken something that wouldn't show up but he's told that if that were the case, they're already out of her system, then that means the effects would have worn off too. And she's still distressed so whatever's going on is still happening to her.

They don't have to wait much longer for the doctor, she's the same doctor that patched Kevin up a couple of days ago.

"No rest for the wicked, eh," she says to Kevin with a smirk and a wink. Kevin just nods in agreement, she's no idea how true that statement is right now.

"We've had to sedate her, she's going to be moved to the psychiatric ward and it'll take time to assess what's wrong," the doctor says. So they'll not be able to speak to the suspect for a while, hopefully the people she works with have some useful information.

They're in the car and heading towards the law firm where she worked. They've got an id from her colleagues; Ingrid Brandt, twenty-four, no previous criminal record, not even a parking ticket, no history of mental illness or drug abuse. The victim is the senior partner at the firm, Jesper Larsen, fifty-five, no criminal record, married with two grown-up children.

Kevin hears the same thing many times from each colleague; 'she was a nice girl', 'quiet', 'hard-working'. No-one knows of any reason she would have to do it, but people often close ranks when harassment and bullying in the workplace is commonplace. He gets the feeling that the suspect didn't have many friends and wasn't sociable with her colleagues.

Just as Kevin's finishing the interviews, Stoffel comes over to say he's finished talking to forensics, the victim was stabbed many times with the knife that the suspect had, the blood's a match, it's clear that she did it. But why? They've still no idea what the motivation might be.

Technically it's not their investigation, but Stoffel spoke to security and now they're leading them to their room, they've got cctv all throughout the building and they cover the area where the attack was. The detectives in charge must already have copies but there's no harm in them having a little look. Kevin's just a rookie so he's following Stoffel's lead, but he's got a weird feeling about this case, there's something similar about this incident and the attack on Karl Gustafson, the drug dealer. Even though that case is already closed, a one-off, and the suspect's in custody.

Stoffel's following the suspect's movements from the moment she came into work at eight, noting each client that she spoke to from a list of appointments, they will all be spoken to in due course. However the last appointment she had is just marked 'walk in', so it wasn't scheduled in advance. When they get nearer the time of that appointment they allow the tape to play at normal speed. Watching intently as a short man, dark curls and tanned skin, walks up to the receptionist, they chat and he takes a seat.

Kevin recognises the man immediately, it looks like the description that Marcus gave him of the demon. They watch the video until the suspect comes back out, shakes hands with the unknown man and leads him into her office. After fifteen minutes he leaves and she heads straight for the victim who is standing chatting to people in the kitchen area, she's already got the knife in her hand. The attack is caught on tape too, the second she sees the victim she begins to stab him as everyone else runs to safety. There's no footage inside the actual offices so Kevin's got no idea what the ~~demon~~ mystery man did to her but they'll want to talk to him as he was one of the last people to talk to the suspect.

When they speak to the detectives in charge later he'll have to find a way to steer them in the right direction without letting on how he knows all of these things. The rest of their shift is going to be taken up with paperwork and writing up their report for those who are going to be working the official investigation. He's got a copy of all the relevant cctv footage which he did on the sly while Stoffel was making sure security wouldn't mention them having a sneak peek at the footage. So he'll be able to work on his own unofficial investigation once he gets home.

*****

Marcus had used his 'sick' day to call all the hospitals. He'd asked if any of them had any suspicious disease outbreaks or had noticed an increase in certain illnesses. Marcus had told them he was a researcher for the University but didn't specify which one and he'd been very vague about what department. He'd just outright lied about his name, if anyone asks a lot of questions they'll assume they got the wrong University.

However all those calls had resulted in absolutely nothing useful. There'd been minor outbreaks of small things but they weren't serious and probably caused by unhygienic practices or antibiotic resistant bugs. Both are quite common and not serious enough to be the work of a demon. If it is the demon that's causing these problems then they don't have to worry about catching him quickly. From what Jo's found out Merihim is much more the spreader of deadly diseases, causing as much sickness and death as he can.

After a morning getting nowhere he'd gone across to the University to help Jo gather all the equipment needed so that he can be reunited with his angel soul. It's an odd assortment of things, although he'd probably recognise them if they looked like they did at home.

"Thanks, for helping," Jo says, there's sincerity in his voice that has probably never been heard by any mortal. Although since this is his and Dany's mission that he's somehow ended up in charge of, the least he can do is say thanks.

"You're welcome, it's nice to feel useful," Marcus says and he feels like he's sharing too much. His usual mission isn't quite as 'save the universe' in nature as it is for angels like Karael but it's still necessary in an under appreciated way.

Once they're back at the flat they have to move all the furniture so there's space for the equipment and they don't end up transporting the sofa to wherever Karael's soul ended up. Marcus just hopes that their neighbours aren't working the nightshift. Jo looks satisfied with how the equipment's set up and is now using his tablet to program it all. Marcus sees that his expression is now fully focused on the task in hand and goes to make coffee for them. When he hands him the mug all he gets is a slight nod in acknowledgement.

With nothing else for him to do Marcus decides that he's going to make dinner for everyone, although he's not sure if Kevin should eat before… before whatever's going to happen to him. Jo seemed quite vague on the specifics, but he did ask him to leave out all the technical stuff.

Nico's home before Kevin and the Dans, he's decided that he can write up his piece on the rise in violent attacks lately at home rather than at the office where his colleagues keep making 'funny' remarks about his relationship with Kevin. The quality of the jokes at work leaves a lot to be desired.

Marcus watches Nico looking at where all his furniture used to be with some confusion. "Where did you get this stuff from? Miskatonic University?" Nico says sarcastically. What Marcus is not expecting is for Jo to laugh, he doesn't look like the type to understand modern references, although he seems to pick things up very quickly.

He can see Nico wanting to ask questions, but he'll get his chance later once everyone's assembled, so Nico goes off to work on his article and Marcus goes back to cooking. Pasta and garlic bread, simple but filling. He likes cooking, especially for others, and it takes his mind off the current situation.

Jo wanders into the kitchen, he's trying to steal a bit of pasta from the pot and Marcus taps him across his hand with the spoon. "Stop that! There'll not be enough for everyone if you keep stealing it!" Marcus chides, it's playful and for some reason he feels like he knows Jo well enough to joke like this with him.

"Make me," Jo says. He's staring directly at him and his smile says _go on then, do something_. But they're interrupted by Nico coming to see if the food's ready. He also tries to steal some pasta from the pot but Marcus just rolls his eyes, mainly for the amusement of Jo. If it wasn't for the stressful situation, this could almost be fun.

"It's all set up but it can't be disturbed," Jo says nodding towards the living room.

"We can eat in the bedroom," Nico suggests, it makes sense as it's the only other large-ish space in the flat and if they sit on the floor the bed will be a suitable height for eating.

Nico's eating most of their dinner before it's even fully cooked but then Marcus hears the stomping of three booted police officers entering the flat. It's perfect timing, Kevin and the Dans must be hungry after a long shift. And Nico's in danger of eating it all on his own if they had been much longer.

Food's dished up and Nico's throwing a scruffy blanket over the bed so that they can eat on it. Strangely it feels childish, like a sleepover, sitting on the floor, with the Dans and Kevin sat on one side of the bed and Nico, Marcus and Jo sat on the other, mainly to keep the peace. It doesn't stop Nico and Kevin staring at each other longingly across the bed. Dany's staying close to Kevin; Marcus can see how worried Dany's been about all of this, that's why he's lashing out at everyone. Mainly Jo, he's an easy target at the moment.

Everyone's chatting but no-one's mentioned the demon, or the soul retrieval, they're rambling away about silly things and laughing. It's the only respite they'll get as once Kevin has his soul back they'll be into full on demon hunting mode until it's banished back to its own dimension.

Dan's clearing away the plates and it's all calm until Nico blurts, "I love you," before pausing to collect his thoughts, "and I said I would follow you to hell and back, so I'm coming with you". It brings them all back to the grim reality of their situation. Although Jo seems confident that this will work and it'll be easy, none of them have ever heard of an angel getting their soul back. Kevin's a complete exception to the rules, he shouldn't be able to exist without his soul but by having some of Nico's soul he got to go on living. He should have given it back but neither of them wanted that so they just hoped that everything would work out and went on living their lives.

Kevin looks overwhelmed with love but it is cut short when Jo says, "You can't go. You're a mortal, you're not suitable for inter-dimensional travel".

"But I could help," Nico pleads.

"It would probably kill you," Jo says and when Nico opens his mouth to speak again he adds, "H. P. Lovecraft once saw the dimension you would probably call hell. And it didn't end well. Your brains just can't comprehend it all".

Nico sighs and Marcus just wraps an arm around him. He can see both sides of this; he knows that humans have great difficulty dealing with the concept of multiple dimensions. But if it was someone he loved, of course he'd want to stand by them, do whatever he could to make it easier for them.

"I love you too," Kevin says, effectively ignoring everything Jo had said, "and I'll come straight back to you. But I need to know that you're here, safe, in your dimension".

Nico scuttles over the bed to Kevin and kisses him, Marcus looks away, he's not sure he could bear it if anything happened to Kevin. All this activity indicates that it's time to put Jo's plan into action, nerves are fraught and if they wait much longer there's going to be tears, Marcus can feel the tension building.

They move to the living room as though they're walking Kevin to the electric chair, Marcus wants to tell him that he can change his mind but there's a look of grim determination on Kevin's face. He's not sure if he wants his angel soul back or just feels like he should do this to help save the Earth, again, but it's not Marcus' choice to make. Kevin's been around for all eternity and he's never done anything that wasn't for the good of humanity, it's just who he is, even now that he's mortal he's still looking out for all of them.

Jo tells Kevin where to stand; it's marked on the floor. Dany snipes, "What? No pentagram?!" but Marcus stares at him until he groans in submission. Dany's variety of different groans and sighs seems to be most of his communication at the moment, Dan's a real angel to put up with him right now. The equipment does look like a high-tech way of summoning the devil, five pillars set up in a circle, all equidistant from each other, with wires connecting them to a box of electronics and then the tablet for controlling it all.

Marcus goes to stand in front of Nico, to shield the mortal just in case this goes wrong, not that he doubts Jo but this is so far from their normal procedures that no-one knows with any certainty what might happen. Jo goes through all of the procedures and then hands him what looks like a smartphone but is actually a way of him opening a portal back to this dimension once he's reunited with his soul.

He's really trying to explain it all in simple words for Kevin, how he'll be transported to wherever his soul's energy ended up but he's no idea which dimension that might be. However the instant he's got his angel soul back he'll be immortal again so he'll be fine, his human 'suit' might be damaged but that can all be dealt with later. Along with letting those back home know that he's no longer dead to them. Marcus knows that Kevin's been cut off from his former kind since he sacrificed his soul, their dimension's not fit for mortals and he's no use to them as a demon hunter so… he was left on his own to live his mortal life.

"Any questions?" Jo asks. Kevin just shakes his head although he must have hundreds of questions. He steps off the mark on the floor and towards Nico before giving him a kiss; it's the saddest kiss Marcus has ever seen, the sort of kiss that's a last kiss. It's heartbreaking to watch.

Kevin's standing on the marks again. His body is rigid, braced for whatever's coming. Jo starts to click away at his tablet which he's using to control everything before nodding to Kevin. There's a whirring sound and the crackle of static electricity before the pillars start to glow. The air around Kevin seems distorted, like light or gravity is working differently inside the circle. Flashes of lightning start to appear within the glowing area. Kevin starts to convulse like he's being electrocuted. Marcus keeps looking at Jo to see if this is what's meant to be happening but he's just staring at all the data, he doesn't look concerned so this must be how it works. It doesn't stop Nico trying to make his way to Kevin who's now crying out in pain and Marcus has to hold him back. He couldn't stand to see Nico hurt as well.

There's a horrendous sound of bones creaking before Kevin collapses into a heap on the floor. Nico barges Marcus out of the way and grabs at Kevin's hand which is lying at the edge of the disturbance. As he grabs his hand there's a blinding flash of light and when they can all see again Kevin and Nico have both gone.

"Nico!" Marcus yells but it's too late, both Nico and Kevin have disappeared and the machinery is making a whirring sound like a fan winding down. It's clear that it's finished whatever it was programmed to do. Marcus prods the space where they were but it's just air, the portal to wherever they are is no longer open. All he can do is hope that they ended up somewhere that Nico can survive for long enough to get back to his own dimension.

Marcus bites his lip and looks at Jo, he's not sure he wants an answer to any of the questions running through his head.

"In a minute the tracking device will show us where they have come out," Jo says but the confidence has gone from his voice. The fact that Nico might not be alive is left unsaid, mortals just aren't meant to travel between the dimensions. He stares at the tablet, willing it to make a noise, show them where their friends are.

Two hours later they're all sitting in silence, staring at the tablet, hoping that it'll do something, anything, even if they show up on the other side of the planet at least they'll know that they're back. Marcus can't even deal with the thought that Nico might not be with Kevin when he returns, all he can think now is _please let them be ok_.

Dany's been getting more and more restless with each passing minute, Marcus wants to say something to comfort him but without understanding what is going on, he's got nothing but clichés and hollow promises. So he says nothing.

"If you've killed them, I will make sure that you are punished," Dany says, he's completely deflated, it's the first time in days that he's not been sarcastic or angry (or both). He sounds so pitiful and tears are starting to form in his eyes. Dan hugs him and says that they should go, he escorts Dany out as though he's an invalid, Dany's huddled under his arm, face pressed against his chest. It hurts Marcus to see Dany this way but there's nothing to do except wait and maybe he'd be better off away from Jo, he seems to be annoying Dany just by existing.

"It's going to be ok," Marcus says to Jo once they've left, he's not sure if it's true but he just wants him to know that he's not angry with him. He puts his hand on Jo's knee and says goodnight before heading for the spare bed, the alarm on Jo's tablet will scare him awake if... when Kevin and Nico get back to this dimension.

Marcus lies down to sleep but all the dreadful thoughts about what could have happened to Kevin and Nico swirl through his mind, gaining speed, growing until he's curled up in a ball, crying over how cruel fate is to do this to them.

He thought he was crying quietly but there's a creak of floorboards and Marcus sees a glimpse of light from the hallway, Jo's at the door. Marcus sits up slowly, trying to hide his face but Jo strides straight across to the bed. There's light flooding in now and he sees the concern in Jo's eyes as he sits down next to him, he wants to tell him that he's fine but he doesn't look it and he's sick of pretending that he's alright when he's not. He allows Jo to hold him in his arms as he cries, his muffled sobs and moans sound pathetic but he's relieved to have someone to give him a hug. The only thing that would make this situation worse would be having to go through all this alone.

Jo shivers and Marcus pulls the duvet around him, both lying down as they get comfy and Marcus wants to get his wings out, hold Jo properly, have Jo wrap him up in his wings but he knows he shouldn't. Marcus wants to sleep but at the same time he wants to feel Jo's wings on his face, stroking him, caressing him, comforting him. But he'd give up his chance for all of that, if it meant he could get his friends back safe.


	5. Where?

Dany's slumped at the bottom of the shower. His whole body aches with exhaustion and the tears running down his face are hidden by the stream of water from the shower. The worst part about all of this is there's nothing that he can do to help them. They have to leave it to Jo, even though he doesn't care if they see Kevin and Nico again. He has no idea how much this hurts. Dany knows he should try to sleep but he's restless, he wishes that there was someone he could fight, something to punch. Well, there is Jo, but it would only make him feel better temporarily and it wouldn't help them find Kevin any quicker.

So he might as well get on with the mission he's been handed. It's nearly two in the morning and they're due to be on shift at six a.m. so he's figured that they might as well go into work now, check out all the information Kevin gave them about the possible demon sighting at a stabbing incident.

Dan's waiting outside the bathroom door for a hug, Dany can feel him wanting to say something but there's nothing left to say. Instead he just stares at him, a knowing nod that shows they're thinking the same thing. The only thing worse than this situation would be if anymore mortals get hurt by this demon.

While Dan's in the shower Dany makes them coffee and toast, they can't neglect their bodies if they want to be useful and it's going to be a long day.

Once they're in work, Dan having eaten his toast in the car and got crumbs everywhere much to Dany's annoyance, they begin reviewing all the cctv evidence that Kevin copied from the scene of the crime. Dan checks the rota and sees that Kevin's meant to be working the nightshift so they've got until eight tonight to find him or come up with a reason why he'll not be in work. Death in the family might be the easiest option but would they be suspicious hearing it from someone other than Kevin? They could say major illness but it would mean finding a doctor willing to lie for them and he's not sure if there's anyone down here in that role anymore. It used to be Naaririel's job.

Kevin had suggested to Dany to check out other stabbings where there was complete overkill, the Karl Gustafson one in particular, to see if the demon was at the scene then as well. Although Dany's seen what the humans do to each other without demons being in the equation, but they don't have any better information so at least it's a start.

There's not much cctv coverage around the first attack but they do have the footage from the doorway of the home, the victim recorded all the people who came to the house, probably for blackmail purposes. Working backwards he sees Kevin and Stoffel at the door when they were called out to the disturbance. Just seeing Kevin's face causes him a stab of pain, the not knowing is killing him and he has to breathe deeply so that he doesn't cry again. Then there's the junkie that attacked Karl Gustafson, twitching and mumbling to himself by the door, obviously in need of a fix. Further back there's a few more equally twitchy and desperate people, all wanting their next hit, but no-one matches the demon from the second crime scene.

Dany tries searching for more stabbings but they're all muggings gone wrong or self-defence type incidents. All single wounds; thankfully there's not many in the last month, only five, so it makes it easy to go through all the records.

If the two attacks are linked the demon must have come into contact with the junkie somewhere else. He pulls up the report from the officers who interviewed him while Kevin was at the hospital getting stitches. There's not a lot of useful information, mostly he repeated that 'he made me do it' but when the junkie's questioned on who 'he' is there's no useful answer. He was homeless so there's not even a place for them to search or a path to trace, if they get a chance later they'll check out all the known spots where homeless people hang out, it'll give them something to keep busy with while they're on patrol.

As the clock comes round to six Dany sighs, he was hoping that they'd have heard from Marcus or Jo by now, that there would be some news. But now he's starting to fear the worst.

*****

Marcus wakes up in an empty bed, eyes puffy and crusty from all the tears. He wanders to the bathroom and when he sees his reflection he's shocked. Not that he expected to look good but he just looks so sad and tired. At least he got some sleep curled up next to Jo; it'll give him a better chance of finding Kevin, and Nico. But as each minute passes the tiny chance that Nico is alive gets even smaller. The guilt washes over him, he should have held Nico tighter, locked him in the bedroom so he couldn't get hurt. They're meant to protect the humans, keep them safe. He feels like a failure.

He gets a quick shower, desperate for anything that will make him feel better, quell the voices in his head telling him that he's responsible for this. The warm water washes away the pain, soothes his mind, allowing him to focus on the task in hand. Finding them.

The flat is so quiet that when he wanders through to the living room he doesn't expect to see Jo working away. Jo leaps up to hug him; he doesn't ask if he's ok, it's a stupid question right now anyway. He knows that Marcus won't be alright until Kevin and Nico are found, alive. Jo wanders out of the room without a word and Marcus slumps on the sofa that's still pushed up to the edge of the room but the sight of all the equipment makes him feel sad so he goes back to the spare room.

Jo's bringing him coffee and cereal but as kind as the gesture is, he's not hungry. When he tells Jo that he gets a lecture about how he has to eat. It looks like Jo might actually try and force feed him but he just places the coffee cup in his hand and sits next to him on the bed.

"I think I can track Kevin if he's got his angel soul back," Jo says, "at least we'd know what dimension he was in".

"And Nico?" Marcus asks, he doesn't really want an answer but he had to ask. He's sipping at the coffee but it tastes far too sweet, probably Jo's way of making sure he has energy.

"I don't know," Jo says and he looks distraught, "mortals aren't meant to travel between dimensions".

Marcus thinks about asking more questions but he knows that Jo can't give him a solid answer and they may never know what actually happened to them.

"I just don't understand why Nico did it," Jo says, he looks confused and ends up biting his lip.

"Nico really loves Kevin. He would do anything for him," Marcus says. The look on Jo's face shows that they're both thinking the same thing, but now is not the time to worry about that. It can wait until they find them, _if_ they find them.

"Wouldn't you do anything for the one you're bonded to?" Marcus asks. Even though he hasn't met them yet, he knows with absolute certainty that this is true.

"I'm not bonded but… of course I would," Jo says with a sigh. Marcus can see the worry on his face, all they do is keep the humans safe, that's why they're here. Jo sits the coffee down, gently taking Marcus' hand and resting it over his heart before saying, "I will get him… them, back for you."

Jo slinks out of his jumper and Marcus tries not to stare, he's covered in scars but that's just the way he is, it's not a reflection of who he is on the inside, it doesn't tell him anything about his soul. Marcus almost wants to ask what he's doing but then he sees his wings shoot out, they're as blue as his eyes, sparkling in the light. They look so beautiful and comforting and before he knows it they're drawing him into a hug, surrounding him with love and affection. It's so powerful, the gesture reassures him more than words ever could.

They sit like this for a long time, Jo gently stroking his face with his wings. Nothing on Earth feels as soft as a wing and each touch is spreading pure bliss throughout his body. His soul yearns for more, anything to be close to Jo. He can sense Jo watching him, waiting for him to relax, as relaxed as he is going to manage with all that is going on at the moment. What with there being a demon to hunt and two friends who are missing.

It's all so pleasant and calming. If it wasn't such an awful time it would be perfection. But he's got a mission of his own and if he doesn't leave now he'll be late.

"I'm going into work, too much time off might be suspicious," Marcus says with a stab of pain. He wants to stay here, wrapped up in Jo's wings, but there's nothing he can do to help. He doesn't understand the technology involved in travelling between dimensions the way Jo does so he's better leaving him to it. Also it's just a short shift; he'll be finished by three. He volunteered to do the fire safety checks long ago before all _this_ came along. It'll be an easy day of checking smoke alarms and refilling fire extinguishers.

"Stay safe, ok?" Jo says with a final stroke of the wings along his cheek. Marcus is so grateful for it that he gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. And for the first time since the fire at the old hospital he feels like he can cope with whatever the universe has to throw at him.

*****

Marcus' day is a blur, schools and care homes all merging together, endless paperwork and a stream of faces all asking the same questions about being a firefighter. He feels like he's hovering over his body, watching himself do all these things without feeling it, connecting with it. Later when he thinks back over this day he will remember only one thing, and it's nothing to do with work.

The day passes quickly, the numb feeling never leaving him, but it doesn't stop him doing his job. He calls Jo who says that nothing's shown up on the tracker and that he's working on some other possible hypotheses. Hopefully he'll have something by the time he gets back to Nico's flat.

He thinks about calling Dany but he'll be on duty right now so instead he sends a text that says: _We've not found them yet_. It sounds hopeful and in his mind there's still hope, he won't give up on them until there's proof that they're gone.

*****

Dany almost jumps when he gets a text, they're not supposed to have their phones on during a shift but he needs to know as soon as they've found Kevin and no-one at the police station can know that he's missing.

_We've not found them yet_

They've spent the day being called out to minor incidents, traffic accidents where no-one was badly hurt, a lost child that was just hiding in a small cupboard and broken traffic light where they were needed to direct traffic. Apart from that they've been checking old abandoned buildings where the homeless are often staying along with local shelters that the suspect might have stayed at. As much as Dany tries he can't remember his name, they've just been referring to him as 'the junkie' which he would usually feel bad about but he's got bigger things on his mind at the moment.

The last spot they check is at the back of an old garage. Dany's handing out sandwiches to the people that didn't immediately run away at the sight of them, a couple say they recognise the picture of the suspect but they've not seen him in a while. A few others tell them what they already know, that he's a junkie. No-one remembers seeing him the night before the attack, or that morning but he could have slept anywhere.

While Dany's chatting to them Dan had phoned the hospital where Ingrid Brandt is being looked after but she's still under sedation so she's not able to be questioned. The nurse said that for the brief periods she's awake she's just repeating the same thing over and over again, 'he made me do it'.

Dan wanders from the car where he's been watching Dany, he's so proud of him, his caring soul. As he approaches, Dany leaves the number for the station with them, his name scribbled on the card. He tells them to call or come in if they hear anything, or if there's anything he can do for them. It's so thoughtful of him; he definitely tries his best to do right by everyone. But that's just who he is, it's why they wanted to come to Earth, to help people.

It's the end of shift and they're heading back to the station, signing the car back in and putting all their equipment back in their lockers. The last person they expect to see in the locker room is Stoffel. Dany almost freezes with fright, if he's in now that means that Kevin's on shift sooner than they thought and they've still got no idea where he is.

"You're a bit early?" Dany asks, hoping that Stoffel can't hear any trace of panic in his voice.

"Paperwork, you know how it is," Stoffel says with a shrug, they all know how it is.

"You got a minute?" Dany asks Stoffel as Dan looks on in confusion. Stoffel comes in closer and Dany spins him a story about how Kevin's gran is ill and that he's had to go visit her in the hospital, but he might not be back in time for his shift so he's offered to cover for Kevin if that's the case.

"That's kind of you," Stoffel says and there's no indication of whether he believes Dany or not. He would hate to be interrogated by him.

"Do you know that they let me pick what rookie I was partnered with," Stoffel says quietly, "and I chose him, so I'll cover for him this one time," the words _it had better be the last time_ left unsaid.

"Thanks," Dany says and he hopes he sounds as grateful as he feels. One less problem to worry about.

"One question," Stoffel says and Dany's expecting it to be something like, what hospital is Kevin at or what's his gran's name. But what he actually asks is surprising. "You two live together, right?" he asks while pointing at him and Dan.

"Yes," Dany says. He wants to say 'what do you care?' but it sounds aggressive and he's very aware that they owe Stoffel now.

"One bedroom flat?" Stoffel asks. It's just a question but it sounds like an accusation.

"No, two," Dan says before saying to Dany, "We should be going".

Everyone says their goodbye's but there's a weird vibe about the questions Stoffel was asking. As they drive home Dany asks, "What was all that about?"

"He's probably one of those homophobes," Dan says shaking his head. "It's a shame, I thought he was a good guy".

Dany can't understand how humans can be like that, but he'll have to worry about it another time. They're going to head home and try and piece together what limited information they have on the demon, which is going to be hard. And wait, which is even harder still.

*****

Kevin's trying to scream in pain. His body feels strange, like it doesn't fit him anymore or gravity is no longer the same for him. Kevin's watching as Nico runs towards him, time is slowing, distorted, but then everything goes black and he feels like he's falling, endlessly falling through time and space. He's aware of all the dimensions, all the universes rushing past him as he's dragged towards his soul.

His soul rushes back into him, filling him with energy, restoring him. He hadn't told anyone that since he gave up his soul, and borrowed some of Nico's, that he's felt like he was running on half power, just a shadow of who he used to be. He was so grateful for everything that Nico did for him that he let him think the only reason he was sad is because he was mortal.

It was worth it though to have Nico in his life, to share whatever time they had together. He would do anything to be with Nico.

He's so lost in his thoughts that when his soul is back inside him he doesn't expect to land with a crash in another dimension. His body is smashed against the rocks and it takes him a minute to realise that his human body is not badly damaged. He was starting to worry that after all he'd been through this would be the end for it. Although he could go back without it, he'd just have to make sure no humans saw him.

As he comes to his senses he gets a good look at the place where he's landed. Now he's got his soul back his angel vision is much better than human vision. There's lots of red stone, he's in a cave of some sort and there's sand and dust everywhere. The air here is thick and reeks of sulphur, also gravity is stronger than on Earth. It takes him slightly longer to stand up and when he does he feels shorter. But he doesn't care because he's got his own soul back.

Kevin's brimming with excitement about being able to go back as himself, Karael the great demon hunter, catch Merihim and get back to Nico. He's just about to activate the return device when he spots something familiar sitting in the dust near where he landed, a pair of broken glasses. Their black frame now twisted awkwardly and thick lenses that are shattered from the landing. He grabs at them, knowing that they're Nico's but how did they end up here?

The last thing he remembers is Nico running towards him before he was sent to another dimension. He can't have come with him, can he? Is he here? Kevin's screaming his name, clutching his glasses to his heart, tears running down his face at the thought that Nico is gone. Very few mortals survive inter-dimensional travel and those that do cannot comprehend it, they slowly slip into madness, unable to seek help from other humans. He doesn't want that for Nico but the idea that he'll never see him again is the worst torture that he's ever had to endure.

He knows he should just head back to Earth, deal with the demon but he can't leave without looking for Nico. There's no guarantee that he ended up in this dimension, he could have got lost in any of the dimensions that they passed through. Or he could have just disappeared, torn apart into his component atoms with the energy of travelling between dimensions.

None of these thoughts comfort Kevin so he sets about searching the area where he landed for any sign of Nico. He looks like a small child that's lost his puppy, clutching at its collar, seeking comfort in all they have left of them. Kevin's grasping Nico's glasses in his hand as though they could tell him where Nico is, what happened to him. His tears have slowed and his soul that felt incredible not so long ago is now filled with nothing but sadness.

*****

Marcus is only just in the door when Jo runs up to him.

"It was designed to bring Kevin back!" Jo says excitedly, he looks so happy, "only Kevin, so Nico's alive!" Marcus feels relief flood over him but he doesn't understand what Jo's trying to say. He takes his hand and stares him in the eyes. Jo takes a deep breath before telling him that the return device only had enough power to bring Kevin back, it was all it needed. So the reason he hasn't come back yet must be because he's got Nico with him. The return device will have tried, failed, and used all of its charge. Which means it's up to him to get them both back to this dimension.

"I think I've located him," Jo says pointing at the screen of his tablet. All Marcus sees are numbers but they must be coordinates. "Now just to reconfigure all this to open a portal," he says before he shoots out of his seat. He looks at Marcus, really looks at him, before leaping in for a kiss. It's messy and rough; more excitement than lust but it sets Marcus' soul on fire. Jo rushes off to find some things from his car and leaves Marcus standing, frozen, with a huge smile on his face.

Marcus calls the Dans to tell them the good news and they're on their way. He's not sure if having Dany near Jo is a good idea but if he can see Kevin and Nico are safe it might stop a lot of the anger. Jo's working away furiously, re-wiring things and the programming it all for the extra person while the three of them just stand and watch. Marcus makes many cups of coffee but more just to have something to do rather than because people are drinking it. Although sometimes just holding something warm is enough to feel better.

"I've reset the machine so that it will drag Kevin back to this dimension," Jo says and he looks at the three of them with a face that says _any questions_?

"What about Nico?" Dany asks and he looks like he wants a fight, any excuse to let out some of the anger he feels.

"If he's with Kevin, he'll be dragged back as well," Jo says, fidgeting with a small scrap of wire, carefully winding it and unwinding it around his fingers.

"And if he's not!" Dany yells, "Then what? He's just left to die in another dimension?"

"If they're not together, then Nico's already dead," Dan says, Marcus had forgotten he was there. He's been so quiet lately, having to be the strong one for Dany, it must be hard on him. He's pulling Dany into a hug, mostly for comfort but also to stop him attacking the only person who's got any idea how to get Kevin back.

"He's right, Kevin would never leave Nico," Marcus says, trying to keep everyone positive, he's sure this will work. He has faith in Jo, knows that he wants them back safe every bit as much as the rest of them.

"You all need to stand back, I don't want anymore lost souls," Jo says, he looks at Marcus who just nods. "It'll take thirty seconds to power up and that will be them home," he adds, pressing the screen of his tablet and watching as the equipment powers up.

*****

Kevin's seen no sign of Nico apart from his glasses; he doesn't know that in another dimension Jo has just turned on the machine to transport him, with or without Nico. He can't hear Jo counting down the seconds in his head or see the look of panic as he worries about possibly leaving a mortal stranded in another dimension.

Twenty-five seconds.

There's a disturbance in the dust, odd swirls compared to the rest of the cavern.

Twenty seconds.

It looks like something has crawled away. His only thought is of Nico, it's about the right sized trail, but without knowing what dimension he's in, it could be one of the native species.

Fifteen seconds.

He hears a snarl, coming from a narrow tunnel. He dives in, not caring about the danger that might be lurking.

Ten seconds.

There's a glimpse of striped material – Nico's socks!

Five seconds.

He sees the creature that's trying to drag Nico's unconscious body away. It's evil looking, with big teeth and slimy skin, like its insides are on the outside. He has to get Nico away from it.

Zero.

He lunges towards Nico. There's a blinding light and Kevin's screaming Nico's name, causing it to echo through all the dimensions simultaneously, so much pain crammed into two syllables.

*****

"Nico!" Kevin screeches. He doesn't even recognise his own voice but he can't see yet. His eyes are open but all they can see is white.

There's noises around him, all muffled and strange, his ears are ringing and he's trying to work out where to attack when he hears a familiar voice.

"You're ok, you're back on Earth," Dany soothes. Kevin can't see the tears running down his face or the look of absolute relief as he touches as much of Kevin as possible, just to make sure that he's really here.

"Nico?" Kevin asks in the most pitiful of voices. Then it dawns on him what the other noises are, the sound of heavy breathing and a defibrillator charging up.

Dan says clear and Kevin's vision starts to return, he sees Nico writhing on the floor from the electric shock, t-shirt torn open as Dan tries to resuscitate him. Marcus feels his pulse before shaking his head at Dan who charges the defibrillator again. He's injecting Nico with something, probably epinephrine if he remembers it correctly from his training. They all know emergency first aid even though they're not paramedics because they're usually first on scene. Dan must have got the stuff from his car. Kevin tries to sit up but he's so weak and dizzy, Dany just holds him tighter, cradling him against his tear stained cheek.

"Clear," Dan says and Nico's body arches with the shock. It's horrible to watch and Dany draws Kevin in further, so he can't see what's happening but it doesn't block the noise. The electric whine of the defibrillator, the crack of electricity as it shocks Nico, the sound of muscles contracting and then the dull thump as his lifeless body hits the floor.

Kevin's crying, big ugly sobs that are soaking Dany's jumper. His whole body is convulsing with the pain of how unfair this is.

"Got him!" Marcus screams and they're frantically setting up an IV and an oxygen mask.

Kevin flies across to Nico's side to see his eyes open, darting about, trying to work out where he is. "It's alright. I'm here, you're home now," Kevin mumbles, trying to hold back the tears, but this time they're tears of relief.

"He should really go to the hospital, but I'm not sure how to explain it if they find anything from another dimension," Dan adds, "So Marcus can look after him here, I'll be able to go get anything else he needs".

"The atmosphere was probably toxic to humans where we ended up," Kevin says, he's squeezing Nico's hand so tightly that his knuckles are white but he can't bear to let go of him.

Nico's taken to bed, a good rest and some clean air should see him right, he's got Marcus and Dan to look after him tonight. Now he's Karael again there's a demon to be found. And also Officer Magnussen is due on duty this evening. "What time is it?" he blurts.

"Seven, but I said I'd work your shift for you tonight," Dany says.

"I should go, don't want to burn my bridges just yet," Kevin says. He's got an idea about what this demon's up to but he needs access to the police records to put it all together and actually stop Merihim.

Kevin looks to Nico but before he can say anything Nico speaks.

"Go save the world," Nico says in a small voice, he attempts a smile, just a little one but he's been through so much that his body is screaming for a rest.

Dany drives Kevin to the police station. He offers again to do his shift for him but it would be less suspicious if Kevin worked it. Dany also fills him in on his 'ill' gran, so that he'll be able to carry on the lie with Stoffel, and what Stoffel said to them in the locker room but Kevin's reply is that he'd already figured that out, sadly.

"How do you feel?" Dany asks while they're parked outside the station, his hand resting on Kevin's shoulder to comfort him. Now that Nico's going to be alright he feels much better and having his soul back has given him a huge burst of energy.

"Let's go kick some demon ass!"


	6. How?

"So how's your gran?" Stoffel asks. Kevin's already got his lies straight, now that he's got his angel soul back his mind feels sharper, clearer.

"They're keeping her in for a couple of days but she's going to be ok," Kevin says, his best lost little angel voice, "Thanks for asking," he adds as way of ending the conversation. He's not sure that Stoffel's interested because he cares about his new partner.

"And it was sweet of Dany to offer to work your shift," Stoffel continues, "he's a good friend," he pauses for a second before adding, "and Dan too".

Kevin's confused, he thought Stoffel had it in for the Dans. Curious. "Yes, they're good guys" he replies warily. He's expecting more questions about the Dans' relationship, the witch-hunt that humans seem hell bent on, desperate to find the gay guys.

Stoffel nods and they continue patrolling, wandering around the city, it's a nice evening but there's something unsettling about it. The sea breeze is blowing in a way that gives Kevin an ominous feeling, like there's evil in the air.

They're patrolling until 2 a.m. which is an hour after the last of the nightclubs close, so they can make sure no-one causes any trouble on their way home. Then it's back to the station to catch up on paperwork and hope that they have a quiet night.

Kevin's quiet night doesn't even last an hour, there's a fight in the train station, a drunk that decided to break into a small supermarket, another fight – this time in a bar, a minor traffic accident, and finally someone dealing drugs outside a nightclub who'd picked a fight with security when they told him to clear off. The drug dealer's known to them, he used to work for Karl Gustafson. They've got his real name on file somewhere but everyone knows him as 'The Bear' and it's not because he's a big guy or scary but because he once got so high he thought that he was a bear...

They're taking The Bear into the station and he's chatting away about how with Karl dead there's someone else taking over his empire. It's not a surprise to either of them; they know how much money Karl was raking in with his 'business'. So it was only a matter of time before one of his underlings decided that with Karl gone they wanted it all for themselves.

"So do you know who's taking over?" Stoffel asks once everyone's got a coffee and they're settled in the interview room. It's funny how if you're in here all the time, like The Bear, you're treated more like a visitor than a criminal. There are even biscuits that Kevin's munching his way through frantically. He hasn't eaten in over twenty-four hours, although time does move differently in alternate dimensions, and they've been so busy on patrol that they didn't have a chance to sneak in a burger.

"No idea, you should ask his lawyer friend. He was taking a cut of the profits," Kevin makes a hand gesture for him to expand but The Bear doesn't notice.

"This lawyer got a name?" Stoffel asks. Kevin can see that his patience is wearing thin but unless you knew him well, you wouldn't notice. A lot of the other officers joke that he's got the patience of an angel, but if you knew some angels, that's not always a compliment.

"Larsen," The Bear says, he doesn't try and hide the fact that he knew the name all along, everyone here knows how the game is played.

"Jesper Larsen?" Kevin blurts and The Bear nods. Now that's too much of a coincidence. For both Gustafson and Larsen to die in the same suspicious circumstances, that's a pattern. But it doesn't help them find out who is doing this, or who the next target might be.

They ask The Bear a lot more questions but he only knew about the lawyer because he'd seen him about at Karl's house, taking large amounts of money, and drugs, which is not how lawyers usually get paid. Not good upstanding lawyers anyway.

There's not enough to hold him and he's set free, the sun's just coming up but the ominous feeling in the air is still present. "See you soon, _Bill_ ," Stoffel mocks and Kevin just raises an eyebrow, he didn't expect 'The Bear' to have such an ordinary name.

"So, we have a dead drug dealer, a dead lawyer that was also a drug dealer… someone planned this so that they could take over," Stoffel thinks out loud. He's pulling up all the times that Karl Gustafson has been to court, always represented by none other than Jesper Larsen, and there's another worrying pattern to it all.

"The judge, it's always the same judge," Kevin nudges Stoffel, pointing at the screen, watching as the implication of all this dawns on him.

"We can't just go and ask her if she's taking over Gustafson's drug empire," Stoffel shakes his head and Kevin understands immediately, their hands are tied until they have more evidence. But is she the one killing off the others? Or is she the next victim?

Kevin has another worrying thought which is _Where does the demon come into all this_?

"I know who will have the answers, and where they have breakfast," Stoffel says, grabbing his coat, their shift ended about an hour ago but this case seems to be taking over.

Kevin wants to make his excuses, go and check on Nico but he knows that he's in good hands with Marcus, and he's the only one that can hunt and banish this demon. So he's following Stoffel to a café round the corner from the police station, where all the detectives get breakfast after a night shift.

*****

There's a tall man sitting in the corner, on his own, drinking coffee, the remains of a pastry scattered on a plate nearby. Everything about his demeanour screams police, even though he's in jeans and a jumper, jacket slung over the chair next to him. Stoffel wanders across to him and introduces him as Detective Inspector Tom Lindberg. He looks like he's in his thirties but his eyes say that he's older than that, probably in his forties. Although a lot of officers have eyes that are much older than the rest of them, that have seen more than most will in their entire lives.

Once they're all sitting Tom says to Kevin, "So you're the rookie that he wanted?" and it sounds wrong on so many levels. Also he had no idea that Stoffel picked him. "I hear good things about you, can see you two on my team in the future," he adds. It's what Kevin was working for not that long ago, it's funny how he longed to get his angel soul back and now he has it's changed everything but he's not sure if it's for the better.

There's some general talk about how lucky they were to be involved in the Gustafson case, it's the sort of thing that gets people noticed, promoted.

"How come no-one ever caught Karl Gustafson?" Kevin asks. It's as good an opportunity as he's going to get to wheedle a little bit more information out of Tom. He's trying to sound like it's just curiosity rather than an accusation, especially since Tom might be the only one to help them if this judge turns out to be the killer.

"Fucking lawyers, letting criminals get away with their crimes," he says. Kevin knows that it's a sore spot for a lot of police officers. They spend ages gathering evidence, following all the procedures and making sure everything's done right… then some lawyer finds a technicality and they're free again. And they have to start the whole thing all over again, meantime drug dealers are still dealing.

"I'll see you guys about, better get going before the wife complains. She's a real witch!" Tom jests before leaving them sipping their coffee, wondering what their next step is.

*****

Dany's watching Nico sleep, he looks much better now that he's had a rest, in fact he looks great for someone who accidentally fell through into another dimension and then got dragged back into this one by force. When Dany had seen him and Kevin fall back through; lying at opposite ends of the machine, crumpled heaps of bone and skin, they had both looked dead. Nico was dead. He shakes his head at the memory of it. There's tears falling down his face, and he has to breathe deeply so he doesn't cry out loud, but then Dan wraps a wing around him and he remembers that it's all ok.

There's four angels surrounding Nico while he sleeps, no-one had wanted to leave in case something happened. Jo's been comforting Marcus all night, constantly touching him, stroking him, whispering that it's all ok. Dany feels a little bit guilty over what he said to Jo and about thinking that Jo didn't care, he can see now how much he cares for others. He was so wrapped up in being angry about what happened to Kevin that he didn't see how much pain Marcus was in, how he was struggling through it all alone.

Nico wakes up with a snort, and Marcus hurries to find his glasses for him, they'd had to look everywhere in the flat for his spare pair, since the pair Kevin was holding when they came back were badly damaged. Once he's got his glasses he looks around at the angels sitting watching him, two with tears in their eyes. Marcus flings himself over Nico in a big hug before the tears start flowing and he's mumbling about how he's glad he's safe.

"I'm fine. In fact I feel really good," Nico says but he has a thoughtful look on his face. They all know him well enough to know that he doesn't like being fussed over. And that he's not one to complain unless he's in a lot of pain.

Nico fidgets and Marcus sits back, as Nico tries to get out of the bed Dany rushes over to help but is batted away, "I'm only going to the bathroom, I'll be fine," Nico says calmly. There's no trace of pain in his voice and Dany lets him go.

"We should get some breakfast," Jo says and Marcus follows him to the kitchen. Dany's figured out what's going on with those two but he's not sure that they realise it yet themselves.

Once it's just him and Dan in the room he turns to face him before saying, "I'm so sorry. For the way I've been acting. I was just so angry about everything". Dany snuggles into Dan's chest and lets his wings surround him, allowing all the anger and sadness to drain away.

Dan kisses his forehead before whispering, "I forgive you".

*****

Marcus is relieved to have a little bit of breathing space, it's been a long few days, and now that Nico and Kevin are back in the right dimension it's straight into demon hunting. Although it's not technically his mission he seems to be involved in it anyway.

"Are you ok?" Jo asks. Although it's a simple question they both know there's no easy answer. Just because Kevin and Nico are back safe it doesn't mean that everything's fine, there's still a demon to catch and things are definitely more complicated now.

"Hold me," Marcus says, he's not sure if it's a request or an order but Jo brings him into a hug, with his arms. "Properly," he adds quietly, he's scared to ask to be wrapped up in his wings again but he wants it so much, every bit of his body is shaking in anticipation of it.

Jo slides his wings out round his clothing, it can't be comfortable for him but once the wings make contact with him it's all Marcus can think about. The rough stubble of Jo's beard sends sparks along his skin, at the same time as a wing teases the edge of his t-shirt causing him to gasp in pleasure. It's so blissful and yet Marcus wants more, his lips are seeking out Jo's, little moans of pleasure escaping as they share their first proper kiss and it feels like their passion is radiating out into the universe for all to see.

There's a yell from Dan to bring the biscuits and they reluctantly break the kiss, Jo placing a little kiss on each eye before kissing Marcus' forehead. He sighs when he puts his wings away but then whispers to Marcus, 'later'. Which has Marcus grinning all over again.

Jo starts to look through the cupboards for the biscuits until Marcus explains, "They're on top of that one, Nico hides them from Kevin". There's a 'huh' sound in response from Jo but he doesn't look surprised.

Marcus pours the coffee as Jo retrieves the biscuits before returning to the bedroom. Kevin should be in soon and they can finally get all this sorted.

*****

"And you said no mortal could handle it!" Nico shrieks at Jo, he's been trying to talk to Nico about his 'experience' to make sure that he's ok, mentally. "I'm the incredible Hulk!" he scoffs, even though everyone but Jo knows that he hates his nickname, it does seem fitting right now.

"The fact that you were unconscious the entire time in the other dimension seems to have protected your sanity," Jo says.

Dany interrupts with a snigger, "No-one who dates Kevin can be considered sane!"

Everyone laughs except Jo, who says, "If they're still dating…" before trailing off into his own thoughts.

Nico looks at Jo with exasperation, waiting for an explanation. Marcus is finally the one to speak as Jo mumbles an apology. "It's just we're not meant to get involved with humans," Marcus says softly, trying to make it sound acceptable when really it's not. It would be the same as humans dating their pets but it's not really his place to be telling Nico all this. Also it would only upset him, although Nico seems well, his body's been through at lot and he doesn't want to risk stressing him out.

Dany's crawled alongside Nico to hug him, sensing that he needs the comfort, draping a wing over him like a blanket. It's not as good as Kevin's touch, but it's so sweet of Dany to do this for him.

The sound of the front door startles them all and Kevin wanders in with a big smile on his face, which lasts until Nico says, "They said we can't date now you've got your angel soul back?" It's meant to be a question but it sounds like an accusation. Kevin never thought that he'd have to deal with this, he thought he'd be mortal for the rest of his life, however long that was.

"Oh…" Kevin says, "So, I've figured out either the demon's accomplice or it's next victim, a judge called Kirsten Dyrholm," he adds in a sarcastic tone that would make Dany proud.

"Really?" Dany asks, since it's still his mission. And Jo's.

"Yes and I will tell you everything after Nico and I talk," Kevin says, he's expecting the rest of them to leave but no-one shows any signs of moving. Kevin doesn't really care if the others hear this so he strips off everything, gets his wings out and drapes himself over Nico, tucking his wings under Dany's. It's a squeeze but they all just fit on the bed.

Dan's got one wing draped over Dany while Marcus is shuffling his chair closer to the bed so that he can ruffle Kevin's hair and Jo sneaks a wing around his waist. They're a huddle of wings and limbs and for a brief moment everything feels good and calm.

"I've never been one to play by the rules," Kevin smirks, it's said out loud not just to reassure Nico but to tell all of the others that if they have a problem with it, they can keep their mouths shut. "I love you Nico Hülkenberg, and you can't get rid of me that easily," he says and there's a flurry of movement, which ends with Dany being pushed out of the bed as Nico and Kevin's kisses become more frantic.

The noises are strangely intimate and it feels wrong just be sitting watching them but no-one actually takes the initiative and leaves. When Kevin finally breaks the kiss he's clearly aroused and makes only a token effort to drape his wing over it.

"So… how are we going to catch this demon?" Dany asks, he wants all this over with. Kevin tells them all about his chat with 'The Bear' and how the judge seems to be either the one benefiting from the deaths or the next victim. Without more information it's hard to tell but it doesn't matter as long as the demon will be hovering around her. The question is how do they get access to the judge?

"Death threat?" Jo says, in a calm tone, like he's planning lunch with friends rather than a serious crime. "That way she'd have police protection assigned to her, and you could shadow her without it being suspicious".

The logic's perfect but if they do it through human e-mail systems, it'll be traced back to them. Jo wanders off and returns with his tablet, it's not of this dimension even though it's disguised to look like it belongs here. He shows the screen to Kevin with the 'death threat' on it.

 _I've already got to Karl and Jesper. You're next._ Jo's also attached a couple of photos that Kevin took at the first crime scene, to make it look like the killer is sending her photos of his previous kills.

Jo's making it look like it's coming from Jesper Larsen's e-mail, even if they go to the office it'll show that his computer's been taken into evidence after his death. All it will do is send some poor officer on a wild goose chase through the evidence archives where the records will say that after forensics finished with it, it was put away into storage in case it was needed for the trial. He's frantically tapping away until he says, "Who should investigate it? That would give you access?"

"D.I. Tom Lindberg, he's got his eye on me and Stoffel, so we'll be the ones that end up on protection duty," Kevin says, he knows that detectives are too important to be doing the boring stuff like this but yet Tom will want guys that he can trust, that will make him look good when it's all solved.

"Done," and Jo looks so happy that he's just sent a death threat to a human. "When are you next on shift?"

"We’re on shift tonight but the detectives will still be looking into it, checking it's a real threat," Dany says, "so it'll be tomorrow morning before they're actually putting protection into place".

"Which is perfect timing for me and Stoffel to be assigned to protection duty," Kevin says with a smile, he's glad that it's all worked out. And that he's got some time to eat, sleep and curl up with Nico before he has to go back to work. His stomach growls and he realises that biscuits alone are not enough to keep his body going.

Nico groans as Kevin leaves the bed and pulls on some pyjamas, before finding the number for the local pizza delivery place. He wishes that he'd put more effort into learning to cook while he was down here on Earth and sadness washes over him, he's no longer sure of what he wants for his life, it's so much easier for the Dans with their bond. But the bond he feels with Nico will never be recognised by his own kind.

Kevin pulls a smile onto his face. He should be happy that he has his own soul back; his old life back and that they have got a plan to catch the demon. "Pizza's on the way," he says before curling into Nico.

They're all chatting away, now that they've done all that they can, there's no point dwelling on it so they're talking about normal things, Jo's telling them all about teaching and the funny stories of what his students have got up to. Marcus is hanging on each word and Kevin can see him storing away all the information for future reference.

Once the pizza arrives Kevin ends up sitting with a wing slung over Nico, trying to enjoy what's left of this, trying to push away all the doubts and worries about dating a mortal.

"You're going to have to put more effort into your relationship now!" Dany says with a wink before collapsing in hysterical laughter.

Jo looks confused and he looks to Marcus for an explanation. He tells Jo about their 'quirk' from sharing a soul and he laughs, much to Kevin's annoyance. "Wait until you find out how much effort sex in this body is," Kevin says with a smirk and Jo blushes.

"Don't worry, I'll give you some advice," Dany says to Marcus as Jo squirms in his seat. Oh yes, Dany's going to have fun with these two.

*****

"Don't you guys have a demon to find?" Naaririel's sarcastic tone cuts through the room, no-one had noticed him appear and they're not sure how long he's been standing there.

"It's all under control," Kevin says with an equal amount of venom, he may have been forgiven at home but it'll be a long time before he forgives him.

"Nice to see you again Karael," Naaririel shoots.

Kevin flips him off with his wing, "Are you here just to annoy me?"

"You've been summoned. All of you," Naaririel says in an ominous way. Kevin knows that the Dans and Marcus have been on the same mission for a number of Earth years, so it's time for them to get new missions before people get suspicious of them not aging as they should. He's no idea how long Jo's been down here. And since he's Karael the great demon hunter again it's no surprise that they want to talk to him now.

"Is that it?" Kevin says as he accepts a little scrap of paper from Naaririel, it appears to have a phone number on it but it's actually a code for a time and place to find the portal home.

"Bonded in less than a week, that's impressive," Naaririel says as Marcus and Jo look confused. "Feels like your soul is on fire, can't bear to be apart, any excuse to touch them," he reels off sarcastically, "and you have that weird glow of the newly bonded," he adds with a disgusted look on his face.

Marcus thinks back over all the time he's spent with Jo, how just being near him has made everything more bearable, how he's longed for each touch. He's been so preoccupied with everything else that's going on that he didn't realise they're bonded now.

"I didn't know," Marcus says quietly, but when he looks around, he's sat on Jo's lap, wings wrapped around him with their hands intertwined, it really couldn't be anymore obvious.

"Told you," Dany says to Dan, and Marcus is a little bit annoyed that no-one told him. He's always the last to know but he didn't think that would be true when it concerns him.

Naaririel's 'bracelet' glows and he says, "see you all soon," before disappearing with a wink back into their dimension.

"At least he didn't mention Nico, maybe they're going to turn a blind eye to your situation," Dany says. After everything the Kevin's done for them and the humans, he deserves this little bit of happiness.

"They know that if I decide to quit demon hunting it'll be more trouble than just letting me have this," Kevin adds, trying to avoid the subject of Nico's mortality. Forty or fifty years isn't a long time to them, in the overall scheme of things. "And you two had time to bond while we were lost in another dimension!" Kevin jests, changing the subject to something more cheery.

Marcus just shrugs, there's nothing to really say to explain it to Kevin, since he seems hell-bent on staying with Nico.

Dany yawns, they've not slept in nearly three days, if they head home now they can get just enough sleep to be functional on shift tonight. "Are you coming home?" Dany asks Marcus and he shakes his head.

"You can stay here if you want," Nico offers.

"I should go home, I've been in the same clothes for three days," Jo says unapologetically. All these things have been unimportant while they tried to save Kevin and Nico. He doesn't even have to ask Marcus if he wants to come, he just puts his hand out and Marcus takes it. Naaririel wasn't joking about the glow they have. It's so obvious now.

Nico curls into Kevin but he doesn't fall asleep easily. He hadn't thought about the consequences of Kevin being immortal again.

*****

Jo's place at the University is tiny, barely bigger than most hotel rooms, and equally impersonal. There's several thick textbooks lying about, all for show, since he's got access to their technology through his tablet.

Marcus wants to ask what now, but Jo's leading him to the shower. They're undressing in unison, both aware that their clothes are days old. Marcus cringes at the fact that he's in Nico's clothes, it seems so inappropriate given that he was missing when he borrowed them.

The shower's not really big enough for two but Marcus is content to be close Jo, the water flowing over them both as Jo reaches for the shampoo. Each movement is delicate as he tips Marcus' head back, before Jo's fingers deftly massage his scalp and hair, each small circle lulling his soul into pure bliss. And there are little kisses; barely more than lips pressed against skin, reassurance that Jo's still there, that this is really happening. As the water washes away the soap, Jo runs his hands through Marcus' hair, continuing to stroke down his back and Marcus groans in pleasure.

"Are you happy with this?" Jo asks, his concern just makes Marcus adore him even more.

"I can't believe I didn't notice," Marcus gushes, he's watched the Dans for so long that he'd got used to being this third wheel. He never expected to have this for himself, when Naaririel had said they were bonded, it was a complete surprise to him.

"I've been down here so long, without other angels that I never thought it would ever happen for me," Jo pauses, it sounds so silly but he's been down here for over six hundred years, "but I'm so delighted that we found each other".

Marcus feels honoured by all the kind words and loving gestures that he just wants to hold him, properly. He slides his wings out and it's met by the most wonderful of gasps from Jo.

Jo watches as his pale blue wings sparkle, each water droplet enhancing their splendour. He's overwhelmed as they stroke the side of his face; each touch sends flickers of warmth and comfort through his body. Jo kisses every bit of wing that passes his lips, caressing them with his own wings, engulfed in the exhilarating feeling of being close to the angel that he's bonded with.

They lie together, wrapped in each other's wings, a blend of beautiful blues. Unable to tell where one ends and the other starts, like the ocean meeting the sky.


	7. What the...?

Kevin's set his alarm for six, it's far earlier than he needs to set it but he knows that he'll feel better with a little comfort from Nico before he goes to work. And the other angels have decided to meet here before Kevin goes to work to put their plan into place for the day. He watches as Nico's fumbling about for the alarm, Kevin's deliberately left it going so that it'll wake him as well.

"Morning sexy," Kevin whispers.

"Morning my angel," Nico mumbles, the word angel stabs at Kevin's soul, it's no longer playful. Just a painful reminder of what he's done.

Kevin's kissing his way down Nico's chest; stopping to tease the skin around his cock, waiting until Nico's fully hard before taking all of Nico into his mouth, gagging when Nico thrusts his hips. Kevin's got one hand wrapped round the base to try and keep Nico in place and his other hand is grasping his own cock, trying to suck Nico and get himself off at the same time. It's a lot to coordinate and there's drool leaking from his mouth but Nico seems to be enjoying it. His moans are so arousing and as he gets louder Kevin feels his own orgasm begin to build. Nico's hands are grabbing at his hair, pushing his head down as he comes, the taste of him filling Kevin's mouth as he writhes with his own orgasm. And the Dans said this would be difficult, it's really not that hard to make sure they come at the same time, he smirks.

There's just enough time to share a shower before everyone shows up, Kevin's getting dressed in his uniform but Nico's 'working' from home so he's wandering about bare foot and topless in just a pair of jeans. He fidgets with his glasses, complaining that they're not as comfy as his other pair.

Nico's making toast and coffee for everyone as Kevin lets them all into the flat. At least Jo had cleared all the equipment away yesterday, so they can use the table to eat like normal human beings. Nico sighs out loud but there's no-one to hear it, he's the only actual human, the rest are immortal angels from another dimension. If it he didn't know it to be true he'd think he was crazy.

"Hi. You're looking much better," Dany says as he drags Nico into a hug. It's touching that he was so concerned, it's usually hidden by a thick layer of sarcasm, but it's there nonetheless.

They're munching away at the toast as Dan goes over the plan for the day. Marcus has a day off and since the students are on their summer break Jo can work on his research as he pleases. "Kevin, you've been assigned to the judge. So we'll stake out the courthouse for the day".

"Marcus and Jo will go to her house in case the demon shows up there," Dany adds as Marcus and Jo look like they just want to go back to bed but they nod sleepily in agreement.

"What do I do?" Nico asks.

"Stay here and don't get injured, ok?" Kevin says. Nico doesn't want to be treated like he's fragile, doesn't want reminded of how easily his life can be ended. What he's not expecting is how angry this makes him.

"I can't help with this! I can't come home with you! If you don't want me anymore just say the word!" Nico screams, his chair clattering against the floor as it falls, he'll have to apologise to all the neighbours later. "That's it isn't it? You don't want a _mortal_ for your boyfriend?" Nico's rage is building, "We were talking about marriage, kids, and now you've got your soul back you've changed your mind!" Nico sees red and suddenly there's wings trying to attack him. _Who the fuck is trying to attack him_?

Nico lands face first on the floor, there's a nasty crack and the sound of glass and metal being crushed. That's another pair of glasses gone, he thinks but his attention is quickly dragged back to what's trying to hurt him. He's flailing as he tries to get them off him but they're pinning him to the floor. The wings look like Kevin's but… Kevin's standing over there. He doesn't know what Marcus or Jo's wings look like but he can see them too. They're all backed against the wall, staring at him.

"What the fuck…?" Nico looks so confused and yet everyone else is just looking at him with shocked faces.

Jo's the first one to move, he approaches as though Nico could attack at anytime, before taking Nico by the hand and leading him to the full-length mirror in the hall. He stands back as Nico looks at himself in the mirror, moving slowly as if it might be a trick of the light. The wings, _his wings_ , are shimmering in the light. Nico's prodding at them trying to work out if they're real or not but they definitely feel like wings and they look exactly the same as Kevin's.

"You see them? Right?" Nico asks Jo, his voice wavering from the stress of it all. Jo nods his head slowly. "This is why I feel so good. I have Kevin's soul again," he adds, it all makes sense now. He thought about it yesterday too, how he'd felt like this before, when he'd taken Kevin's soul to banish Furfur.

"Yes," Jo says, and he motions for Nico to follow him back to the living room. Nico gets his wings stuck on the door and ends up flapping them in Jo's face as he tries to get through.

"How do you put them away?" Nico asks as Kevin rushes across to him. His wings are reaching out for Kevin, wrapping around him. He doesn't feel like he has any control over them, they're stroking Kevin's face, holding him tight.

"Um, just think of them as extra arms," Jo says, he's no idea how to get used to suddenly having wings. They've always had wings, it's just the way they are.

Marcus is cleaning the spilt coffee with paper towels, and the chairs have been picked up. Nico's still in shock at all of this and he flops down onto the sofa, wings wrapped around him. He can see why the others always have their wings out even though they shouldn't, there's something calming about the feel of them, like having your own comfort blanket. Kevin sits near him, avoiding his wings.

"How did this happen?" Nico asks Jo, he's the only one that seems to have any answers. 

"It's with you sharing a soul. I originally thought you got dragged there because you were touching Kevin," Jo says, "However the only way to bring a mortal back from another dimension is with a multi-dimensional being, like us. So when you fell back through and you two weren't touching, that's when I suspected that you might have part of Kevin's soul. But you were so injured that we didn't have time to worry about that. And then you seemed mortal when I spoke to you," Jo's trying to keep it all simple, Nico can see that by the amount of hand gestures he's using.

"So do I have my own soul too?" Nico blurts, he knows Kevin's been wandering about down here on Earth with a bit of it for the last year but the idea that his soul is lost and gone. That's terrifying. He can't believe Kevin's been coping with all this while adjusting to being mortal. There's tears running down his face and he's wrapping his wings further around himself.

"Yes. I can feel your soul inside me," Kevin soothes as he wipes away the tears with his thumb. Police uniforms do not leave any room to sneak wings out, which is definitely for the best. "Can't you feel it inside you?" Kevin asks, when he was mortal he couldn't feel Nico's soul, he just knew it was there.

Nico takes a deep breath and tries to feel the energy swirling within him. He feels his own soul, the bit that tirelessly hunts for the truth, wants justice for all. And he feels a desire to keep the mortals safe from demons, things that should not be in this dimension, to protect no matter what the cost – Karael's soul. Nico's dizzy with all of the emotions, so familiar and yet completely strange.

"I feel you," Nico gasps. He stretches his wings around Kevin, imagining that it's his arms doing it, until Kevin's surrounded by him. They sit like this for a while, the other angels watching in anticipation, afraid that Nico may lash out again.

"I love you, but I have to go to work," Kevin says, the pain of leaving Nico in this state clear from his voice but before he goes he gently kisses along Nico's new wings. The grin on Nico's face as he does it makes him want to ravage him right here on the sofa, but duty calls, humans to protect and demons to stop.

"You can come with us and stake out the judge's house," Marcus says to Nico and Kevin's relieved that there'll be someone to look after him today. It's a lot to deal with but Nico's always coped with the unexpected, so he'll cope with this too.

*****

"We've got a good one today!" Stoffel smirks as Kevin takes a seat at their desk.

"Is The Bear back?" Kevin jests, trying to play it cool.

"Judge Dyrholm received a death threat!" Stoffel says and he sounds giddy with excitement. "I knew that she was involved in this whole Gustafson mess," he smiles as Kevin nods.

"Who's investigating it?" Kevin asks, trying to make sure that it's the right detective that's assigned to this case, he's not sure what exactly Jo did or how foolproof it is.

"Tom," Stoffel says with a gasp, "and we're doing the protection duty on the judge today!" Kevin can see Stoffel already thinking of himself as a detective, and why not, he's really good at his job. "Grab your hat and lets go to the courthouse".

On the way to their assignment Stoffel tells Kevin that he's sure the judge must be on the take, no matter how good your lawyer is, if you want to guarantee that you'll not be charged paying a judge is the easiest way. Then the lawyer can make sure you always get that judge. Although Stoffel has worked out that if she's the target, someone else is the killer, so there's a fourth person involved in taking over Gustafson's drug empire. Kevin doesn't want Stoffel ending up anywhere near the demon but if he thinks that they're the killer, he'll go after them. Hopefully the Dans will be able to intercept the demon if that's the case. Stoffel may be a fully trained police officer but he's still mortal, he still needs protecting.

Once they're at the courthouse they are shown the layout of the building along with the courtroom that the judge will be using today and her office. They're lead to the judge and her assistant. The assistant is man of average height, making him the same height as Kevin and Stoffel, he's got tanned skin and thick brown hair, he's clean shaven but by this evening he'll have a little bit of stubble poking through. He introduces himself as Fred, before introducing the judge and she shakes hands with both of them. Kevin holds her hand a little bit longer than necessary to try and feel if she's a demon but he doesn't feel anything. It doesn't mean she's not involved in the takeover of the drug empire, just that she's human.

Most of their day is going to be spent standing in court. Kevin's scanning the faces in the crowd for any sign of the demon, but he's not there. The judge has lots of cases lined up for today so there's still time for him to appear. Seeing the large numbers of people that are about in the courthouse he really hopes that the demon doesn't show up here, the thought of hundreds of people all infected with some sort of psychosis is terrifying.

*****

"You're going to have to put your wings away if you want to go outside," Marcus says, he's trying not to sound like he's talking to a child but he's never had to deal with anyone 'new' to being an angel. Because they're immortal there are no baby angels, and definitely not any humans that have accidentally become an angel after the soul they were sharing with their boyfriend got upgraded to a full angel soul… Marcus snorts at how crazy it all is. If he hadn't seen it for himself he would never have believed it.

Jo's trying to talk Nico through putting the wings away, the Dans have gone to watch for the demon at the courthouse and left them to handle this. Marcus is watching with pride as Jo calms Nico, hopefully once he's less agitated he'll put his wings away. So far Nico's managed to get a bit of control over them but he doesn't seem to want to put them away. Marcus can kind of understand that bit; it was agonising for him to have to put his wings away this morning, to deny himself that pleasure.

"They're so big," Nico says, admiring his wings, watching the way they dance in the light.

"Mine are bigger," Jo says and he raises just one eyebrow. Marcus makes a half gasp, half groan sound and both Nico and Jo turn to stare at him. When Nico turns back round Jo's smiling and blushing at Marcus, the glow that Naaririel mentioned is shining through.

"Can I see your wings?" Nico asks and he's not sure if it's something you can ask, not that it stopped him asking Kevin when they met. They barely knew each other and he let him see his wings without blinking, although their attraction to each other was immediate. Even when he first saw him, lurking in an alley and then breaking into a house, he felt drawn to him in an inexplicable way.

"No," Jo says firmly, "all the wings need to go away so we can go watch for a demon".

"So can I see your dimension now?" Nico asks, like a child asking if they can go to the toy shop.

"Yes, in fact you were summoned too," Marcus says, "Naaririel did say 'all of us', I just assumed he was ignoring you because he doesn't really like humans".

"It's a shame I can't kill Naaririel. He knew and instead of just telling us he had to play games," Jo sighs.

"He's had a really bad time," Marcus says although he's not sure why he's defending him.

"Poor baby, spent a few days in another dimension. It's not nice but he wasn't even hurt," Jo mumbles, "They tortured me, and yet I'm still here protecting them," Jo says showing off all his scars. Marcus has already seen them but Nico's fascinated by them, his hands and wings dart out to grab Jo's arm, tracing the scars with his wings.

"What happened to you?" Nico asks, all the extra energy from Kevin's soul seems to be bubbling over and merging with his inquisitive nature.

"They assumed I was a wizard, possessed by a demon, and they thought burning a cross into me would get rid of the demon. They then tortured me some more before trying to burn me at the stake… Karael, Kevin, saved me. He opened a portal home before the flames got to me and the humans thought that they had seen a demon explode. Ironically the priest that led the witch hunt was the demon Kevin came to banish," Jo says with a sigh. "It wasn't a great time in human history, we tried to keep the real demons at bay, stop innocent humans being killed. But it was difficult, there were so many".

"Oh," is all Nico manages, but he knows the lengths that Kevin went to just to protect a few humans and he doesn't bear any ill will to humans either; he can sense it in his soul.

Nico can't seem to stop his wings trying to follow the scars and they're pulling up Jo's top in the process. Eventually, Jo just takes it off, letting Nico stare at all the scars. He's tracing them all with his wings and Jo's trying not to flinch. "I'm sorry," Nico says, pulling his wings back so that they're draped over the back of the sofa.

"It's ok, they don't hurt. They're all healed now," Jo says calmly, "I'm just ticklish," he laughs and it puts Nico at ease.

"So can I see your wings now?" Nico asks and it's just sheer curiosity that's asking now, he can feel that his wings are identical to Kevin's, down to the tiniest atom. But he's never got to see anyone else's wings up close.

Jo sighs and Nico thinks he's going to say 'no' again but then there's giant wings shooting out, sparkling in the sunlight, causing rainbows to form over the walls of the living room. Nico's mouth falls open and he ends up just staring, he's forgotten that Marcus is still in the room.

"I told you mine are bigger," Jo smirks, letting them drape over the sofa alongside Nico's. There's not much in it but Jo's clearly the winner.

He's in awe of how calmly Jo can deal with everything. Nico feels bad for making Jo relive his past but the way he talks about it says that he's made his peace with it. All these deep thoughts ground Nico, pull him back together.

"Get dressed while your wings are away, something tight that'll hide them in case you get all excited again," Jo says, "it won't be comfortable but it'll give us a chance to get you out of sight".

"Ok," Nico says and with that he's pulling on one of Kevin's t-shirts, comically tight on him before putting one of his own t-shirt on top and then a baggy hoodie. He looks at his glasses, they're a bit bent but the lenses aren't too damaged and he can live with them. A quick hunt of the flat and Nico finds a slightly older pair lying about, the prescription's not quite up to date but he's probably not fit to drive at the moment anyway and it'll be good to have a back up pair at the rate he's destroying glasses lately.

When he walks back through to the living room Marcus is holding the biscuit tin and Jo's got his car keys in hand. "Let's go kick some demon ass!" Nico roars.

Nico's eating the last biscuit; it seems that everyone has had their hands, and wings, in his biscuit tin. Not that he can blame them, it's been a bad time for all. They've been sitting in the car for two hours now, parked at the end of the small lane near the judge's house. It's a cul-de-sac so there's only one way in or out unless the demon's going to climb through gardens to get to the house. It's unlikely that he'll show up here with the judge being at work all day but since they've not got any better leads it's worth a shot.

"So… how was the sex?" Nico asks cheekily.

"We just cuddled," Jo says in what is probably the most aggressive tone that anyone has ever said the word 'cuddled'. Nico's amused by the fact that the tables have turned and that he and Kevin are no longer the new guys in the relationship club. It's worth it just to see Jo fidget in his seat, Marcus doesn't really seem all that bothered by it but living with the Dans will do that to a person. He still remembers the first time he saw them, wings out, having sex against the living room wall. It's a sight he'll never forget.

"How are you feeling?" Marcus asks, a not so subtle way of changing the subject.

"Good. Really good. Like I could do anything!" Nico says and then he winces at the pain of his wings trying to escape. He takes a few deep breaths and feels them slip away, when he looks up both Jo and Marcus look worried.

"You know you can't tell your family and friends about this, right?" Jo says, he's not trying to upset Nico but there are certain things that are going to be difficult about this situation.

"I'm an only child. My parents died while I was in University. I don't keep in touch with any of my distant family. And all my friends are angels," Nico says, "Also, who would believe me?".

Marcus and Jo both simultaneously try to reach round and hug Nico but he's in the back seat of a small car and there's not really space. Jo rests a hand on his knee and Marcus takes his hand, unless they're going to get out of the car there's no way they're going to manage a group hug.

"So what's your home like?" Nico asks, since he's got their full attention, eyes filled with curiosity.

"It's like here, only with our kind instead of humans," Jo says. "You'll see soon enough, once this demon is banished we've all got to go back, get new assignments". 

"Are the Dans bonded?" Nico asks, he's never really thought about it until now, in fact he didn't know there was such a thing. Although there was no reason for Kevin to ever tell him.

"Yes, that's why they always work together. To separate them would be cruel," Jo says.

"So now you two will always get to stay together?" Nico says and he's aware that he's bordering on annoying but he's just never got a chance to talk to Kevin about any of these things.

"Yes," Jo says and his hand automatically moves to find Marcus'.

"What about me? Am I bonded to Kevin?" Nico asks, his brow wrinkled with all the thoughts going through his head, trying to make sense of it all.

"Um, technically you are Kevin. Well, Karael," Jo says, "you two are an exception to the rules".

Jo and Marcus have both found a way to touch some part of Nico, trying to reassure him about the unknown, when they're not even sure what will happen.

Nico's stomach grumbles, none of them got any real breakfast this morning with all that was going on. The judge's house is not far from town and Marcus goes out to get the food, Nico asks about coming along but he's told, "it's best if you stay here, just in case…" and Nico nods, he know that he's not really got a grip on controlling his wings yet and he'd hate to make things worse than they already are.

While Marcus is getting food Nico uses the time to ask Jo even more questions about their dimension, most of which are answered with 'you'll see soon' or 'it's complicated'.

"If you want I'll teach you the basics of quantum theory," Jo says cheerily, until Nico sighs and the smile retreats back to his more normal neutral state. He almost adds 'you've got a lot more time to learn' but he's not sure what's going to happen so he says nothing. The only thing worse than not knowing is having false hope.

He sees Nico smile and then he notices that Marcus is approaching with the food, but the smile disappears when he sees there are only two bags.

Marcus slips into the car before handing Nico a bag. Nico opens it and when he sees that there's two burgers, chips and an apple pie in the bag his eyes light up and he says, "I love you," before devouring the contents in record time. Marcus and Jo share their food and Nico tries not to roll his eyes as they feed each other chips. There was a time when him and Kevin were like that all the time, although it was pretty much just him being fed by Kevin, and Marcus had put up with it, never a word in complaint.

Once the food is all gone they go back to watching for the demon although they end up distracted by Nico's endless questions that have no real answer. Not yet anyway.

*****

The judge bangs her gavel on the last case of the day. They have the honour of checking the ladies room before waiting outside, trying to look inconspicuous and failing. Fred comes along with her things and he's starting to look more tired but the strain of being near someone who has a death threat against them is a lot for a civilian to deal with.

Kevin tells Stoffel to stay in the office with them until he's checked the car out and then he'll radio for them to come out with the additional security that the court has, they usually walk the judge to her car anyway so it's not a big deal. It also gives Kevin a chance to meet up with the Dans in the car park and see if they've noticed anything.

"No sign of the demon. You?" Dany asks and Kevin shakes his head. 

"We're just taking the judge home for the night," Kevin adds, "we're going to be there all night. I've put in a good word with Tom and you guys are getting to guard outside the house tonight".

"Thanks man," Dany says with a yawn, working a night shift, dealing with Nico's wings, staking out a demon and then another night shift is going to take epic amounts of coffee. At least guarding the house means that only one of them has to be awake at any point.

"Stay safe," Kevin says before feeling silly about it.

"You too. I can't deal with you being mortal again," Dany says, and Kevin hears the months, the year, of pain that he's been dealing with all crammed into one sentence.

The Dans head to the station to clock in for their official shift and to get assigned to watching the judge's house. At least this means Nico, Marcus and Jo can go home and stay out of harm's way tonight. Even if Nico is immortal now… Kevin's just so happy about it that his brain has accepted it as one of those things.

Kevin's quickly checking the car, no sign of any tampering or bombs, he radios to Stoffel to say it's all clear and he replies with, "What took you so long?"

The journey back to the judge's house is uneventful and once they're parked in the driveway, Kevin gets out to check the house while the Stoffel guards the two civilians. Can't be leading them into a trap, it wouldn't look good. The house is large and yet mostly empty, odd bits of minimalist furniture is scattered around but it's a far cry from the cluttered approach Nico has which Kevin's come to think of as normal for humans. When he's finished he radios to Stoffel.

It's all clear. All quiet. Too quiet. Now all they can do is wait.


	8. Why not?

Dany's leaning against the side of Jo's car, trying to convince them to go home. "We're going to be here all night," they've got an unmarked police car and a nice spot to sit and watch the house.

"You've barely slept all week," Jo says and Dany feels guilty that for a short while he hated him, he was such an easy person to hang all the anger and pain on, even though he was the one trying so hard to fix it all. And looking after Marcus.

"I slept yesterday," Dany says and Jo takes his hand in comfort, he shouldn't be this kind to him but it seems Kevin was right when he said that Jo doesn't hold grudges.

"You can't have got more than six hours," Jo says and Dany nods. It's true by the time they got back home they'd managed to just squeeze in six hours, mostly by not showering and turning up to work two minutes before their shift started. "And before that?" Jo asks.

"Thursday we slept before the night shift," Dany says although now he says it he's not sure what day it is today. Everything that has happened lately has messed up his sense of time. Even though Kevin and Nico were only gone for twenty-four hours it had felt like days with the worry and work as well.

"It's Monday. So you've had six hours sleep in nearly five days," Jo says and he squeezes Dany's hand a little tighter. He can see the concern in his face, they all know what will happen if they don't eat right and get enough sleep, it's exactly the same as humans that don't take care of themselves.

"It's fine, we'll manage the night," Dany says as he stifles a yawn, "And only one of us needs to be awake over the night. You should take Nico home".

"I can help," Nico adds, "and I'm not tired". There's the sound of fabric creaking, and when Dany peers into the car Nico's trying to breathe slowly. Marcus is holding one of his hands and Dany just looks at Jo.

"I'll take Nico home, Marcus can watch over him. Then I'll come back and help you guys out," Jo says and it's with a tone that says there will be no arguments. Dany feels like he's one of Jo's students, and it's not often that he's not the one in charge.

Dany marches back to his car, and Jo tries to get Nico to put his seatbelt on.

"But I'm immortal now," Nico whines.

"One; no human can ever know that. Two; you can still feel pain and it's not fun," Jo pauses as Nico stares at his scars, "Three; I have no idea what will happen to you if your human body is damaged beyond repair".

"Oh," is all Nico can say but he's now paler and quieter than he has been all day.

"I'm sorry," Jo says while looking him right in the eyes, "but until I know exactly what happened to you I have to keep you safe, ok?" Nico nods and Jo feels awful about worrying Nico but he couldn't bear it if anything happened to him. If they were home he could use their technology to see if Nico really is immortal but he just doesn't have access to some of it while he's here on Earth. Marcus gets out of the passenger seat and slides in the back with Nico, hugging him as though his arms were wings.

*****

They're all in the house and the judge is microwaving some left over lasagne for her and her assistant. Kirsten had offered them some but they'd both politely declined. They'll eat once they're both tucked up safe for the night. It's strange to see how quickly she had changed from Judge Dyrholm, the firm but fair no-nonsense official, to Kirsten who cooks and watches tv. It makes all of this feel more like an imposition, everyone deserves to have their personal and professional lives kept separate.

Fred is bringing through files that need to be reviewed before court tomorrow, which they're going to go over during dinner. Kevin helps with bringing the food through from the kitchen while Stoffel watches in amusement. Nico would think it was hysterical that Kevin is helping in the kitchen when he's barely learnt to cook in the last year.

"I'll take a coffee," Stoffel smirks at Kevin.

"Yes, sir," Kevin scoffs and he gives him an mocking salute before heading back to the kitchen. Thankfully Judge Dyrholm, Kirsten, has a small kitchen and everything's easy to find.

He's on his way back with two milky and sweet coffees (Stoffel takes his coffee with milk and sugar too which makes it easier to remember) balanced carefully in his hands. As he gets through the door Fred says something which strikes fear into Kevin's heart.

"He made me do it."

Stoffel's flying out of his seat to get Kirsten out of the way. Kevin's dropped both the cups and is leaping towards Fred who now has a knife in his hand, holding it as a weapon rather than an eating implement.

There's a scream, a mixture of pain and terror, Kevin thought it was Kirsten but it's actually Stoffel. Fred managed to catch him with the knife, the serrated edge tearing at his skin. Sadly their arms are not protected by the stab-proof vest. Kevin's glad they have to wear them though as he's now got Fred pinned to the floor in an awkward manner, but he's still trying to stab him in the heart repeatedly.

Kevin sees Stoffel taking Kirsten out of the room and he hears him tell her to lock the door. At least she's safe, Kevin thinks, he couldn't bear it if there were anymore victims. He's trying to get the handcuffs on, if nothing else to stop Fred poking at him with the knife, although he can see how tired he is, his energy fading as the effort of attacking takes it toll.

Stoffel charges back through to the dining room before helping Kevin to get Fred in handcuffs, he's now mumbling 'he made me do it' over and over again. Kevin's relieved to have the help, he didn't want to hurt Fred but at the same time he had to protect Kirsten. Although he's glad that he no longer has to worry about himself.

"I've radioed it in, Tom's on his way," Stoffel says, "and the Dans have been notified". Kevin is going to notify them by text so that he can warn them that the demon might try and finish the job on the judge. He seems to have gone to a lot of effort to get to her and they're still not sure why the demon seems to have this pattern. It's not his usual kind of spree.

Kevin nods in response as he hauls Fred up and onto a chair. He doesn't want him to be too uncomfortable while they wait for back up. Kevin surveys the scene, chairs tipped over, two broken mugs lying in a pool of their previous contents, a stark contrast to it’s pristine nature earlier. Stoffel goes back to Kirsten but just talks to her through the door, it's probably best she stays in there until back up arrives, just in case there's anyone else trying to hurt her lurking.

*****

"Right lets get you home," Jo says and he's just put the key in the ignition when he sees Dany jogging across to them.

"Change of plan," Dany says quickly, "there's been an attack, no-one's hurt but Kevin thinks the demon might come to try and finish off the judge".

"Yeah! I'm going demon hunting!" Nico cheers from the back of the car as Marcus tries to calm him, Jo sighs but he's needed here so he'll just have to try and keep Nico out of the firing line.

"You guys just stay here," Dany says. The look of worry about Nico is written all over his face, "call if you see anything," he adds but Dany's torn between letting them stay or sending them home. However even if one of them has to watch Nico, it's still one extra pair of hands to keep the humans safe so he doesn't try too hard to convince them to go home.

Dany walks up to the house, Dan right beside him but something feels off about the whole situation. He can't put his finger on it but there's something unusual about Merihim's pattern, it seems too human, which sounds silly. If he didn't know there was a demon, all signs would point to someone taking over Karl Gustafson's drug empire. But who?

"You're quiet tonight mate," Dan says and Dany ends up taking his hand, a little bit of comfort as they search around the judge's house. It would be an odd sight if any humans saw them, two guys in full police gear holding hands as they root through bushes and check behind trees. They find two cats and a shocked looking squirrel but there's no sign of a demon.

They wander around to the front door and knock firmly. Kevin answers the door and he looks worried, the lines on his forehead even more pronounced.

"There's no sign of anyone around the house," Dan says.

"House is clear and the suspect is in handcuffs. We’re just waiting on D.I. Lindberg to show up," Kevin says, before motioning for them to come in. They both nod to Stoffel and there's an uncomfortable silence but there's no time for that.

"We'll take the suspect down to the station," Dan says, it's the procedure to get suspects to the station as quickly as possible. Even if you read them their rights usually anything they say before they their lawyer shows up can be thrown out in court. Also any evidence actually on them needs to be collected properly so that it can be used at their trial.

"Stoffel you can take the judge down so she can give her statement," Dany adds and it earns him a funny look from Stoffel, even though they're of equal rank. It doesn't take two to escort a witness to the station and it'll leave Kevin to guard the crime scene. Although ideally they should stay to wait for the demon too, but that's so far from standard procedure that it would be suspicious, so they just have to keep doing the day job and hope that it all works out. Now that Karael's back in action they don't have to worry about leaving him alone with Merihim on the loose and there is the newly winged Nico who should be better than average at demon hunting even without any training.

"Tom said to wait here for him," Stoffel says and there's a slight hint of doubt in his voice. He's an excellent police officer, he knows all the procedures, and he knows that there's something not quite right about the Detective Inspector's instructions.

Dany's torn between what he should do as a police officer and his mission as an angel here on Earth. He's never had two missions running at the same time and he wishes there was someone he could ask about what the right thing to do is.

"You know the drill. One: Suspects are to be processed asap. Two: Witnesses are to be taken to the police station to give their statement while it is still fresh in their minds. Three: Crime scenes are to be guarded until forensics show up. Or have you forgotten Officer Vandoorne?" Dany says, reeling off the information as they are taught in training. But it's the use of 'Officer' that snaps Stoffel into action, typically only superiors would talk to them like that.

"Right," Stoffel says and Dany can see his mind clicking back in. He's happy with Dany's previous instructions, which is a relief. Dany was worried that he would want to stay at the house, where the demon might attack, alone.

"You get Jud-, Kirsten, to the car first and we'll bring the suspect out after," Dany says.

Stoffel gets Kirsten to unlock the door, with many reassurances that it's safe, before slowly escorting her to the car. Kevin brings the suspect from the dining room and hands him over to the Dans, his face clearly says _What if the demon attacks at the police station_?

Dany doesn't have an answer for that but if he disobeys the rules and the mortals get harmed here he would feel awful. By following the rules, even though no better outcome is guaranteed, he believes at least he could justify his actions to himself.

The path out of Kirsten's house is past her driveway and Stoffel shields her window as the Dans escort Fred out. Even though he's in handcuffs they've both got an arm, to make sure that he's steady more than anything. He's rocking slightly while mumbling 'he made me do it' as he walks.

As the come up level with the car Fred freezes, and both of the Dans reflexively look around for any sign of danger. They're about to start leading Fred to the police car when he whispers, "He's here," before slowly trying to back away while staring at the row of trees in the garden. Fred turns to run and the Dans move to chase him but he only gets a couple of steps in before they've caught him. He collapses to the ground and starts wailing that 'he's coming'. The Dans are trying to get him up but he's thrashing about, Stoffel has come round to help them get him up and to the police car after locking Kirsten in the car.

They're so busy trying to drag Fred up that they don't see a small scruffy man come out of the trees. In fact he's only a metre behind them when Dany catches a glimpse of someone standing behind them out the corner of his eye.

Dany springs round like a cat, baton out and when he sees the demon his only thought is to shield the mortals. With Stoffel watching he has to go through the same routine as if it was a human suspect.

"Put your hands behind your head and lie on the ground, face down," Dany says in an authoritative tone. Fred has stopped moving and has curled into a ball on the ground, Stoffel's crouched next to him and Dan's trying to shield them both. The way he's positioned makes sense only if you knew that he had wings to wrap around them.

Merihim still hasn't said anything and Dany repeats his instructions, although it does cross his mind that he doesn't understand the language, but it would be far too suspicious to repeat the instructions in Latin, which is what was probably used last time he was on Earth. He could say it was Russian; part of his cover story down here is that his parents were Russian, but would Stoffel be able to tell the difference?

Dany tries one last time, this time in English, since a lot of people seem to have it as a second language, but there's still no response. He approaches cautiously, baton in hand and Merihim doesn't even blink. Dany thinks that he's going to be able to get him into handcuffs easily and then it'll give them time to figure out what to do.

Seven seconds later Dany realises that it's the dumbest thought he's ever had. As he'd reached a hand out to put the demon in cuffs, which is also one of his stupider ideas, Merihim had punched him in the stomach. Although he was never going to be able to reach Dany's face since he's about a foot taller than him. Then he lunged for the car where Kirsten was locked away and punched through the window, scattering glass everywhere. Dany had managed to drag him away from the window, his arms weren't long enough to reach Kirsten, and throw him to the floor. Meantime, with all the chaos Fred had run off, still in handcuffs and Stoffel had run after him. Dan had tried to help Dany secure the demon but he'd elbowed Dan in the groin before sucker punching Dany while he was crouched over him.

"Kevin!" Dan screams and Kevin flies out into the garden, pausing only long enough to shut the door, sealing the house up. The Dans are slowly getting up, trying to get a grip on the pain, and the demon's escaping.

"Get Jo to track my phone," Kevin yells to them as he sprints past, it's cryptic enough that he doesn't have to worry about Kirsten overhearing. He's got the scent of the demon and he's following it, almost knocking down Stoffel as he leaves the driveway. Stoffel immediately follows Kevin, and they're running down the road and disappearing out of sight.

Dany groans before touching his nose, it's bleeding but not broken, and with that he's back in action. They need to get Kirsten somewhere safe and then help Kevin with the demon. As he gets Kirsten back into the house she's babbling about how Karl threatened her family, threatened her niece if she didn't do what he wanted her to. Tears are streaming down her face and as much as Dany wants to sit and reassure her, they've got bigger problems, and more mortals to protect.

"Stay in here, my partner will guard the door," Dany says, he's not sure if he can trust any of the other police officers. Karl Gustafson seems to have had a large network that included law enforcement and other officials.

Dan nods, even though Kirsten can't see it, before whispering to Dany, "Jo's tracking Kevin, he'll send the location to your phone".

Dany kisses his cheek, "I have to go, it's my mission," and with that he's walking out into the cold evening air.

*****

Marcus is sitting in the front of the car holding Jo's tablet, which shows Kevin's location. It looks like he's running through gardens and alleyways at the moment but they're trying to stay as close as they can in the car.

They're getting closer to the edge of town, no-one has spoken apart from Marcus giving directions to Jo. There's less and less houses and the roads are turning into dirt tracks. There's a strange mood in the car, all unsure of what might happen when they find the demon.

As they turn onto a farm track Nico says, "Switch your headlights off! I've done this before. It's my job," and Nico's not sure if it's his job as an investigative journalist or his newly acquired profession of demon hunting that he's referring to.

The trees thin out and the light of the full moon seems unnaturally bright, illuminating a small cottage. Jo leaves the car at the edge of the trees, it's an old car and the sound of the engine will alert them to their approach if he drives any further. When they get out of the car, Nico sniffs the air, he doesn't know it but he's picked up the scent of the demon. All he knows is that it smells like danger. Nico's swiftly moving towards the house, Marcus and Jo following right behind him, hoping not just that he has Karael's abilities but that he knows how to use them.

Nico's heart is racing, he can feel that Kevin's close but his brain is telling him that danger is closer.

*****

Kevin's running effortlessly through the gardens, pointing in the direction of the demon to try and make it appear to Stoffel that he can see him, rather than smell him. He wishes Stoffel hadn't followed him but to tell him not to come would have raised too many questions and there's not time. Merihim's heading for something; it could be another victim, so Kevin will just have to protect Stoffel as best he can. He's a police officer and he knows that danger comes with the job.

He can feel Nico getting closer as he dashes through the trees, Stoffel's heavy breathing echoes behind him as the trees thin and a small cottage comes into view. He wants to tell Stoffel just to wait here, that he'll check out the house alone but he knows he wouldn't obey it. Instead he tells him, "Keep behind me, we don't know if it's an ambush," which is true but it's also the easiest way to get him to hang back a bit.

They creep up to the house, Stoffel has one hand on his taser, eyes darting around looking for any possible threats. The wind seems to be getting stronger the closer they get to the house, it's strange given how calm the breeze was earlier at the judge's house. Kevin motions for Stoffel to stop as he creeps up to a window.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he sees inside the house. There's a pentagram marked on the floor, not that it has any special powers but the fact that humans place such significance on it speaks volumes. As Kevin looks at each of the humans he sees a familiar face, D.I. Lindberg, standing talking to the demon. The shock of it means that he hasn't noticed Stoffel coming up to see what's happening.

They both duck down under the window ledge, Kevin's trying to figure out not only what is actually going on, but what he can tell Stoffel that will make sense and keep him out of harm's way.

"So Tom hired that guy to kill the competition?" Stoffel whispers, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Looks like it," Kevin says, he's more concerned about why he'd use a demon to do it. It's untraceable but there's a huge risk that they'll also kill whoever brings them through to this dimension. And how does he know how to do that? Very few mortals have ever worked out how to open portals, and fewer still manage to bring beings through from that other dimension.

"We should call for back-up," Stoffel says as he gets his radio out. He twists a few dials and presses all the buttons but there's nothing, not even the hiss of static. Kevin gets his radio out and tries but it's also dead. They were working less than an hour ago and now they've both stopped working at the same time. Something really weird is going on here, even weirder than angels and demons.

"We should wait," Kevin says, he's getting to the point where he might have to knock Stoffel out and leave him somewhere safe while they get the demon. Kevin stands up and peers through the window again. Now there are five people standing at the points of the pentagram and the demon is standing, just standing, in the middle of it all while they chant and throw a strange mixture around. It's probably what they used to open the portal.

"Fuck it, lets go and arrest them," Stoffel sighs, before making a beeline for the door. He can't possibly understand what's going on but Kevin's not able to catch him before he opens the side door and slips into the house.

The chanting covers the sound of the creaky floorboards and they both check that their tasers are charged and their batons are handy before bursting through the door.

"You're under arrest Tom," Stoffel says in deflated tone, he wanted so badly to be a detective, be on Tom's team and now it turns out he's a criminal.

The room falls quiet and Tom laughs, "You don't even know what's going on here". Everyone in the room appears as though they are in a trance, except for one woman.

"You're taking over Karl Gustafson's drug empire," Stoffel says, "and this guy is the killer you hired to help you do it".

"You have no idea what you're messing with little boy," Tom cackles, "this is a demon".

"Nice try Tom, going for the insanity plea already," Kevin smirks. It's taken a lot of bravado to do it but he can't have anyone else getting hurt, "next you're going to tell us that the voices made you do it?"

"I told you my wife's a real witch, she summoned a demon to do what needed to be done," Tom says as his wife nods furiously, she looks impressed with her handiwork and she smiles at the demon.

Stoffel snorts, it's amazing what people will tell a police officer to try and get out of being charged. "You're all under arrest," he says but looking at the determined faces in the room it's not going to be an easy task.

"You can't arrest us all. Two against six," Tom says, "and before you say backups on the way, I know your radios don't work here".

He feels that Nico is close but he's torn between wanting to come and help and having him stay away and stay safe. Kevin's not sure how long it will take the Dans to get here, or if they're coming, so he stays right where he is, blocking the only door out of the room.

*****

They're almost at the house when they hear a car coming quietly in the distance. Marcus sighs in relief when they see it's the same unmarked police car that Dany was driving earlier, its engine is so quiet that he's able to drive it right up to the house without anyone noticing.

Dany slinks out of the car before pushing the door shut with the tiniest of movements, not wanting to alert the people inside to their presence. He walks across to them, and they assume that Dan must be staying in the car.

"Dan's stayed with the judge, I can't have any more humans getting hurt," Dany says. He looks lost without Dan, they're always together, always. Nico's not sure how he ended up taking charge but everyone seems to be following him. He feels like he knows what to do, Kevin's soul guiding him with every heartbeat, but is it just a desire to save Kevin or is it an innate drive to protect mortals and banish demons?

The four of them creep up to the house and Nico peers in the window, seeing that Kevin and Stoffel are in a bad position. Kevin's holding the door and Stoffel's braced for a fight, they're outnumbered and the demon's there which means Stoffel's in serious danger.

Nico slinks around to the side of the house where the door is, it's already ajar from when Kevin and Stoffel went in. He motions for Dany to come up to the front, since he's in his uniform he should go in first, it's less suspicious. Nico whispers to Marcus and Jo that they should stay behind, he's not sure why he's trying to protect them but he feels he should.

Dany nods to Nico before bursting through the door. Nico knows that Kevin can feel his presence, just as he can feel Kevin's, so he'll have moved out of the way. As Dany flies through the door he ends up almost toppling Kevin over but he's sturdy enough to stay upright.

"Tom?" Dany says in confusion, he hadn't recognised him from behind when he looked through the window, although he hadn't got a good look.

"Dany, my boy. Where's your boyfriend?" Tom smirks and Dany wants to punch the smug look right off his face.

"He's going to be here with the entire force and arrest your ass," Dany says with a shrug. Nico, Marcus and Jo barge into the room and Dany almost laughs at how perfect the timing is. "I think things are a little more even now," he quips and starts to reach for his handcuffs. Dany had given Nico all of his zipcuffs before he'd come into the room, they're not as sturdy as the metal handcuffs but they're perfect for when you're in a tight spot.

"Aww, you brought the rest of the Village People," Tom says sarcastically before adding, "You'll never take us alive," in an ominous tone before making a strange hand gesture. His wife starts to frantically chant before pulling out a small bottle filled with a pale blue liquid. None of the other humans move, they still seem held in a near catatonic state, only Tom and his wife seem unaffected by this.

Kevin's aware that Stoffel's in real danger, if Tom's wife has found out how to open a portal to another dimension who knows what technology she might have access to that the average human doesn't. Kevin's trying to shield Stoffel and Dany appears to be doing the same.

Nico's working his way round to try and get Tom, and it's all going well until he trips over the corner of a rug. It takes all his effort not to let his wings out, he's amazed that he's got used to having wings so quickly, it says everything about how strange and unpredictable his life is. While he's lying as a heap on the floor lots of things happen all at once.

Tom's wife throws the liquid in the direction of Stoffel and Kevin shields him with his body. The liquid has a faint hint of aniseed but nothing happens, she looks disappointed and confused. Tom yells something in Latin, Nico doesn't understand it but he's sure that Kevin does and from the look of panic in everyone's eyes it has to be something bad.

"I control this demon," Tom yells, "he will do my bidding".

The second Tom finishes speaking all of his accomplices, including his wife, grab the nearest objects and head straight for the assembled police and angels. Nico's on his feet and heading for Tom, he doesn't see Nico approach from the side. But one quick punch gets Tom on the floor, before Nico gets the zipcuffs around his hands and feet.

When Nico's finished with Tom, leaving him restrained, he looks up and sees Jo tackling a large man by headbutting him and then as the man falls Jo grabs his collar and brings his knee up to catch him in the stomach. Once he's on the floor Jo puts him in cuffs and then draws his elbow back to catch the woman trying to stab him with a biro square in the face. Nico had a suspicion that he'd be able to handle himself in a fight but even he's quite impressed at Jo's skills.

Stoffel's got the remaining man restrained while Dany tries to get Tom's wife in restraints but she's frantically trying to bite him. Jo wanders over once he's got the other woman in cuffs and takes her hand in a vice like grip before painfully twisting it behind her back and snapping the metal cuff around her.

Nico frantically looks around for Kevin, and more worryingly the demon, but there's no sign of them. He darts out of the room and then out of the house to see Kevin running after the demon. Nico sprints to catch up with them but after a minute Merihim stops, frozen in the moonlight and Nico stops instinctively, looking around to see if it's a trap.

He creeps towards Kevin, anticipating danger with every step, but nothing happens. Once he's alongside Kevin he looks at him with a mixture of confusion and excitement. "Tom must be unconscious," Kevin says with a shrug before rooting around under his stab-proof vest. He produces a small bottle, with a glass stopper, containing an eerily clear liquid and when Nico stares into it he realises that he can't see the floor through it. In fact he's staring into another dimension.

"What…" Nico starts to ask what's happening but he stops when he realises that it must be what they use to banish the demon. He cautiously puts out a hand to touch it.

"Do you want the honours?" Kevin asks, "I'm going to have to teach you how to make this".

Nico laughs, he can't make toast without burning it and yet he can make a complex solution that can open a portal to another dimension.

"Throw it at the ground around his feet, and try not to let any splash on you," Kevin says, in the same tone of voice he uses as a police officer, calm and in control. Nico nods, and takes a deep breath, steadying himself for his first banishing. He pulls the stopper in one smooth motion before unleashing the fluid at the feet of Merihim. For a second nothing happens but then an orb of glowing light forms around the demon, similar to the light that had sent Kevin to find his soul, before there's a flash of blinding light and Merihim is gone.

Nico yelps in delight before hugging Kevin, this all feels right, like it was meant to be. "We should go and check on the others," Nico says, "and we should tell Stoffel he ran off".

"Agreed," Kevin says, relieved that Nico seems to be dealing with all of this as just one of those things. He even seems to have the 'protect the mortals' attitude after only a few days as an angel. Well, he always had that in him, but now he has to protect them from the truth as well.

Nico's babbling away about how he took Tom down and kept control of his wings until they reach the door of the house. When they wander back in the scene is even more dismal than Nico remembers, people in cuffs writhing on the floor, mumbling that 'he made me do it'. Jo's standing over Tom's unconscious body with a smug look that says 'I'm not sorry'.

"The suspect ran off into the woods," Kevin says in his most sincere voice.

"I've radioed for back up, they'll be here in ten minutes so your friends might want to be gone before that," Stoffel says, "as far as I'm concerned none of you were here tonight".

"I'm going to go get Kirsten and we'll see you at the station," Dany says before herding Nico, Marcus and Jo out of the door and away from being tangled up in drug related murders.

Three ambulances are used to take the suspects to hospital, accompanied by three equally confused police officers. Stoffel had covered by saying that they had followed the suspect here from the judge's house, where they had found four additional suspects all high on drugs and had been forced to defend themselves while taking them in to custody. Since Tom's the only one who is going to make any sense it's going to look like he was in charge, but if he starts talking about demons they'll just think he's high like the others. Kevin feels awful that all the humans at Tom's house got infected by Merihim, from what they've seen of the other victims they're going to have to live with it for the rest of their lives.

Once forensics arrive, Kevin takes it as their cue to leave, there's nothing more they can do here. They get a lift back to the station with one of the other officers so there's no chance to talk to Stoffel or try and get their stories straight for the report. He covered at the house but that was a simple lie, Kevin's not sure how far Stoffel would go to further his career. Or protect himself.

*****

They're being congratulated by the Chief Superintendant for apprehending Tom Lindberg, removing the corruption in their station, and solving the murders. Kevin feels weird being praised for doing his job but Stoffel appears to be enjoying it.

Stoffel goes to make them coffee before suggesting that they use one of the meeting rooms to write up their report. Kevin thinks about ducking out but he's still on mission for another couple of days. So he takes a deep breath and waits for Stoffel to return.

As he's waiting he sees Dan and Dany escorting Kirsten out, handing her over to another officer, probably to drive her home, although Kevin hopes that she has somewhere else to stay, for tonight at least. The Dans come in to see Kevin and Stoffel follows with coffee.

"Sorry Duma, Dumah, do you want a coffee?" Stoffel says, completely level voice as the three of them stare at him as though he's grown a tail.

"How did you know?" Kevin asks, his body is tense, ready for a fight.

"Take a seat," Stoffel says to the Dans before giving Kevin his drink and sitting down next to him. "I was sent down to watch over Karael here while he was mortal, make sure nothing happened to him. All I had was a name 'Kevin Magnussen' and I knew that Duma and Dumah were still in contact with you. Even though they shouldn't have been," Stoffel says while giving the Dans a funny look.

"That and a last known location were all I had to find you. And I knew of the bond between these two," he adds, pointing at the Dans. "Although I should have guessed, Duma and Dumah, Dan and Dany, you couldn't have made it more obvious!" Stoffel scoffs.

"Why weren't you given our human names?" Dany asks, it's a good question, they always used to get all the information before coming down for a mission.

"That whole incident with Furfur and Naaririel meant that procedures had to change. So I only got just enough information to find you. Do you know how many Kevin Magnussens there are around here?" Stoffel says, he's in full storytelling mode now and none of the other angels want to interrupt.

"So I had to try and work out if you were friends with the Dans and if they were a couple," Stoffel pauses for dramatic effect and Kevin motions for him to get on with the story, "but that was harder than I thought, I didn't realise humans hid their relationships in this time period," he adds thoughtfully. Kevin wants to explain it all to him but there's not time, he seems like a smart guy, he'll figure it out.

"It wasn't until I saw Jehudiel leaving your flat that I knew for sure. It wasn't easy keeping you safe. What made you choose this job?" Stoffel asks. They don't ever pick jobs the way humans do, they just get assigned missions based on their skills.

"It's what I've always done, keep people safe," Kevin says with a smile.

"Have you been summoned?" Dan asks, it seems every angel in the city is going home today.

"Not yet, someone's got to stay and clear up the mess you guys leave!" Stoffel adds, once they get new missions all their things will need to be disposed of here on Earth and at home they'll alter all the records.

"Your shift finished ages ago," Stoffel says wistfully, "you should go home". And the way he says 'home' leaves no doubt as to where he means.

*****

Nico's animatedly telling Marcus and Jo how he's a great demon hunter; that it's his calling and they're trying to be supportive. He's draped over the sofa in nothing but a towel, wings hanging out as he tries to cram an entire slice of cold pizza into his mouth at once. They can't even remember how old the pizza is but having seen Nico eat neither of them are brave enough to try and take it off him.

The sun's coming up and it's not long until they need to go home. Jo keeps glancing at his watch, Kevin and the Dans should have been back by now. He sighs with relief when the front door clicks open.

"How did you smooth things over with Stoffel?" Jo asks, he's desperate to know that his mission hasn't been compromised, that all the loose ends have been wrapped up.

"Uh, yeah, he's one of us," Kevin says and he enjoys watching Jo look confused.

"I thought it was a coincidence, him having the same name as an angel I worked with a long time ago," Jo shakes his head, "hiding in plain sight," he mumbles appreciatively.

"He was sent to look after me while I was mortal," Kevin adds.

"I thought he was glowing," Nico says, "but I couldn't tell if it was just my glasses that were dirty". Ever since he's got Kevin's soul he's noticed that the angels have a bit of a glow to them, compared to humans.

"I'm going to get a shower and then we should head to the Dans flat, the portal home is going to be there," Kevin says with an air of authority. He's worried that going home might be too much for Nico but he doesn't really have a choice now.

Less than twenty minutes later they're all waiting for the portal to appear. It's a strange sight, six people standing in a bathtub; Raguel has a sick sense of humour. Nico's in the middle so that he's definitely surrounded when they travel between dimensions, they wouldn't want him to get lost after all that he's been though to get here in the first place.

There's a flash of blinding light and then there's the sensation of falling, falling into an endless abyss, before they appear in a small white room. It looks like a very clean hospital, with small white tables, a similar height and size to autopsy tables. Nico looks around at Kevin who takes his hand and gives him a kiss.

"You need to leave your body here," Jo says as Dany groans.

"You'll scare him," Dany hisses and Nico just keeps staring at them, waiting for an explanation.

"I have to leave my body here?" Nico squeals, it's not at all his usual confident self but this is weird even by his now warped sense of normal.

Jo stands very still before taking a step forward, he steps out of his human body, leaving Marcus to catch it as it falls down. They lift it up onto one of the tables before scrawling 'Jehudiel' on one of the legs. Kevin's still holding Nico's hand, trying to gently rub it with his thumb but it doesn't seem to be calming him.

Nico watches the others do it, he feels like he's watching a magician and he can't work out how they do the trick.

"It's your turn now," Kevin says gently, just imagine stepping out. Nico tries it a couple of times but all that happens is his wings come out and get tangled.

"Let's try it the other way," Jo says, "feel your soul and then just let it fall".

Nico closes his eyes, concentration written all over his face as he falls backwards into Kevin's arms, leaving Jo to catch his now lifeless body that's tumbling towards him. He helps Jo put it on a table but he hesitates when he comes to writing his name on it. Kevin takes the pen and writes 'Karael part 2', and when Nico complains about being part two, he crudely turns it into a one, before adding 'part 2' on his own body.

"So whose body do I have now?" Nico asks, prodding it just to make sure he can actually feel things.

"It's your body for here," Kevin soothes, "this one will be stored for when you go down to Earth," but when Nico still looks confused Jo jumps in to try and explain it.

"Ok so… We have bodies that we use on Earth, to cope with your limited dimensions. We have bodies here that are our multi-dimensional forms, who we really are. But on Earth if we were to go down like this," Jo says pointing to himself in his non-human form, "we would be invisible to you, sorry, humans".

"But you just look the same only more glowing," Nico says in confusion, he'd expected them to look dramatically different but they look like they did on Earth only with an ethereal glow to them. And they can take their wings out without taking their top off, another quirk of being multi-dimensional creatures.

"He's only got a human brain," Kevin teases, "it can't deal with multiple dimensions!"

"Hey!" Nico says gently shoving Kevin. He'd expected to feel different but he doesn't really, it all feels right. Kevin opens the door and they walk through a scanner on the way out. It beeps as they walk through and Jo breathes a sigh of relief. Nico looks at him with confusion.

"You're definitely immortal, I wasn't sure with you being such an unusual case," Jo says with a shrug. He leads them out of the building and Nico's expecting things to look alien, but the building looks like fancy architecture that they have on Earth.

The whole place looks more like a futuristic utopia in a sci-fi film than an alternate dimension, even though he knows that all the dimensions are different. He just expected something weirder, less familiar. The colours have a different spectrum here, something to do with the different speed of light, giving the sky a wonderful green glow and plants a strange red tint, but it still looks mostly like a nice version of Earth.

"What do we do now," Nico asks, not that it's not nice wandering through the park but the talk of missions has got him excited.

"I'm going to get told off for thwarting fate," Marcus says with a cheeky grin.

"Fate?" Nico asks, but he's not sure he'll understand the answer.

"I'm not meant to be bonded to Jo," Marcus winks at Jo and he blushes, even in this body he's awkward.

"Who should you be bonded to?" Nico says slowly, but he can see Kevin grinning out the corner of his eye. He looks at him and Kevin points at himself cheekily.

"I could see the bond between you two, even when you were mortal. So I decided not to follow my fate, and because of that fate changed," Marcus says as though he did something tiny like offering them a lift to the airport, not changing the course of fate so that he could be with Kevin. "Fate is always changing anyway, it's not set in stone," he adds and Nico wants to thank him, tell him that he's eternally in his debt, a phrase which has new meaning now.

"Thank you," Nico says, but no words are up to the task of showing how grateful he is. He hugs Marcus with his wings, squeezing him until Jo coughs politely and Nico ends up mumbling that he's sorry. There's hugs all round as they all go their separate ways, it's strange not knowing when he'll see them again, maybe hundreds of years will have passed on Earth by then. The concept of infinite time washes over Nico and it's only Kevin's hand holding his that drags him back to the present moment.

Nico watches as the others walk away, leaving him and Kevin to find the place where they get their new mission. It's another futuristic yet realistic looking building, and the room they end up in is a small clean office, with two chairs. He's introduced to an angel called Raguel, who talks with what sounds like a French accent.

"You have a choice," Raguel says, "Karael can take his soul back and you can go back to being a mortal," he pauses for what appears to be dramatic effect, "or you can stay as one of us and follow Karael's mission as a demon hunter".

Nico doesn't even have to think about his answer, "I'm staying here with Karael, I'm a demon hunter".

"Ok," Raguel says pushing some buttons on a tablet not dissimilar to Jo's.

"Wait," Kevin waves his hands and wings, "are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, certain," Nico says without hesitation.

"You know the longer you have my soul the less likely it is you could go back to being mortal," Kevin adds.

"I don't want to be mortal without you," Nico says and Kevin can hear his 'no more arguments' tone of voice. Kevin takes his hand and Raguel clicks a few more buttons.

"That's you, you're a demon hunter," Raguel says cheerily, "but you really should have your own name. How about Nanael?"

"Sure, why not?" Nico says. He's going to have to leave all his human things behind. But he doesn't mind, as long as he gets to keep Kevin.

*****

"What are you watching," Kevin asks, he was horrified to find out that Jo had helped Nico find a way to watch Netflix in this dimension.

"My funeral," Nico says. He knew that it would be done so that he could have a clean break with his human life, and make sure there were no unanswered questions for people to look into but it's still really strange to see your own funeral. Raguel had made it so that he died on holiday, saving a little girl from being hit by a car, the body they're burying is just a cheap copy of Nico's human one. But it's enough for the humans in conjunction with all the records that Raguel had made.

Nico feels strange hearing all these people say nice things about him, not because he doesn't like compliments but because they're the same people that said all the nasty things about his relationship with Kevin.

"So… are you ready to go demon hunting?" Kevin asks, knowing that Nico will be thrilled.

"Hell yeah!"

*****

"Probation," Jo sighs.

"It was worth it!" Marcus says with a big grin on his face, he knew what would happen so he's fine with it.

"With all that craziness we never actually got to celebrate our bond," Jo whispers as he starts to trail kisses down the side of Marcus' neck. The night that they got together Jo had wanted to have sex, so badly, but Marcus had seemed unsure of their bond and he didn't want to pressure him. He was happy just to snuggle up close to him, to be in each other's wings. But the tension has definitely been building.

It's not the slow tender love making that were trying for, the desire overriding all other thoughts. Kisses get more and more frantic until teeth are clashing and their bodies are arching against each other. Moans become more desperate as their hands and wings try to explore each other.

Jo can bear it no longer, and pins Marcus against the wall. He's kneeling in front of him, sucking in all of his rock hard cock as he opens him up with his long slender fingers as Marcus quietly begs for more.

"Fuck me now," Marcus moans and Jo couldn't be more ready. He scoops Marcus up with his wings and positions him so that they're lined up perfectly, their foreheads rest together and Jo slowly thrusts in, watching Marcus intently for any sign that he's not enjoying it. All he sees is Marcus biting his lip, begging for more, and more, and more until he comes messily all over Jo's stomach.

Jo's not far behind as the aftershocks of Marcus' orgasm spasm around him, causing him to come with such force that he almost drops Marcus on the floor.

They end up sliding down the wall together until they're just a tangle of limbs and wings, the dim light from the sunset causing their wings to glow. Jo has no idea how long it takes them to get their breath back but when he does he carries Marcus to the bath so that they can take their time cleaning one another, soft moist wings splashing each other as they kiss lazily, sharing all the stories from their past.

As Jo lies in the bath he ponders how it may not be the first time either of them imagined but it's one memory that they'll never forget.

*****

"I've got it trapped!" Nico yells as Kevin comes running through the forest after him. They're deep in the jungle of Peru, trying to catch a demon that's decided to come through to Earth for a visit. Thankfully he's come out where there's no humans for hundreds of miles.

It looks like a skinless wolf that has its insides on the outside. Nico was nearly eaten by one when Kevin got his soul back but he doesn't remember any of it which is really for the best.

Nico flings the liquid that opens the portal over the demon and waits for the flash of light that comes with inter-dimensional travel.

"We’re an awesome team, this is easy!" Nico smirks and Kevin just beams with pride.

*****

"Please, mate," Dan whines as he fingers himself open, one hand lazily stroking his cock as Dany tries to go over the information for their new mission. "It's been so long since I've felt you inside me, I just want your cock".

"Do you know anything about being a doctor?" Dany says in exasperation.

"How about I be the nurse and you be the doctor?" Dan says in a tone that's straight out of a porno.

"My human body doesn't look old enough," Dany sighs.

"Mate, you've been at it for ages, you need a rest," Dan says with a moan, Dany turns round to see him fitting a fourth finger into his slick hole and all the thoughts of studying get pushed to the back of his mind.

Dany's clothes fly off at light speed and he's crawling over Dan, wings spread, looking like he's going to devour him. He kisses him gently before working his way down, Dan's begging getting ever louder as he gets closer to his already leaking cock.

"Please mate, I need you," Dan whines, Dany hears the need in his voice, he sounds like he would cry if he's made to wait much longer.

Dany ducks down to lick into Dan's quivering hole, enjoying the groans that are forced out of him, Dan begs once more and he's on the brink of tears, the line between frustration and pleasure getting blurred.

"You want this?" Dany asks teasingly as he lines his cock up, Dan's beyond words and all he can do is bite his lip and nod.

Dan screams 'fuck yeah' as Dany slides into him, he's so open that he can thrust easily, Dan's arching his hips, willing him deeper with each push. Dany's using his wings to hold Dan's hands over his head, pinning him to the bed as he has his way with him. He's so snug around him and it's been such a long while since they did this, feeling every twitch of his muscles around his sensitive cock.

"Mate, I want to go on top," Dan gasps, Dany's surprised he's able to talk after being fucked like that.

Dany rolls them over, his wings holding onto Dan so that they're not separated, and Dan looks magnificent towering over him, his face contorted in pleasure as he rides Dany. Dan's got his head thrown back in ecstasy as he moans for more, and Dany tries to slow things down, make it last a little longer but Dan's using his wings like a riding crop, slapping the side of Dany's slim hips to make him go faster. Things are flying about in the room as Dan flaps his wings forcefully. Dany grabs the side of Dan's face with his hands, forcing Dan to look at him while he rides him. Dan's got a giant grin spread across his face and the look in his eyes is of pure bliss.

"I'm so close," Dan pants, licking his lips in anticipation. Dany dives in for a kiss while his wing wraps itself around Dan's cock, playing with the come that's already started to form at the tip. He breaks the kiss so that he can see Dan's face as he comes, almost sobbing in relief as the orgasm takes over him, wings spread wide knocking everything off the table and causing the ceiling light to swing erratically from all the flapping. Dan looks so glorious like this, beautiful white wings shimmering in the light as Dany rides out his own orgasm.

They lie in a puddle of wings, Dany holding Dan tight and stroking his sensitive body with his soft wings. Safe in the knowledge that wherever they may go, they'll always have each other.

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
